A Hard Winter
by Katherin Bend
Summary: A walk through the streets of Chicago after a rough night leads Kat to find new friends at Molly's. Will they be able to help her conquer her demons? or just cause her more trouble in the end...*crossover with PD and Med.*rating change!
1. Chapter 1

A/N: I do not own any of the Chicago Fire, PD or Med characters that show up in my stories… I just like to play with them. I DO own the characters of Katherin, Ken and anyone else that I make up. This one plays fast and loose with the time lines of the seasons… Gabby isn't around and Stella and Severide aren't together.

Warning: Domestic violence mentioned ; rated T for language and future sexual stuff. (may change to M)

A HARD WINTER

Chapter 1

It was November in Chicago, which meant snow on the ground and a bitter chill to the air. Firehouse 51's second watch were almost all at Molly's after a long shift and a very hard call. To an outsider you would think the crew were a bunch of alcoholics with how much they were at the bar, but everyone there knew better. Their job was tough, especially today . So today they needed to drink in the comfort of their home away from home… away from their actual home.

Katherin had walked the streets of Chicago for too long in the cold. Her feet were frozen and so were her hands, even though she had shoved them down into the pockets of her coat as much as she could trying to escape the bitter wind that was whipping around her. It caused her sandy blond hair to get tangled in front of her eyes, and she had almost ran into several people on the street before finally giving up and throwing it into a messy knot. "Damn it why did I leave without grabbing a hair tie?" she muttered to herself, and then remembered . She pulled her hands out of her coat pockets, blowing on them for some short lived relief from the cold and caught a glimpse of her wrist. Yeah, that's why. Her wrist was bruised , the mark of a hand that had wrapped itself around her and pulled hard. That was the one that could be seen, but there were way more hidden. She pulled the too short sleeve of her coat down trying to forget what had just happened , but the tears sprung up in her eyes anyway. She saw a light on the corner indicating a warm place to duck in to, so she did, only stopping for as second to read the name on the sign. "Molly's. Sounds like a place I could hide in for awhile. " she said to herself and pulled open the heavy wood door.

She was wrong. The second she stepped inside everyone turned to look at her, making her second guess being there, almost like she interrupted a very solemn private gathering. That was until the silver haired bartender called and waved her over. "Hey there welcome to Molly's! What can I get you?" he sat a bar napkin in front of a stool and pointed, indicating for her to sit down.

"Um, really I just came to get out of the cold…" she knew her cheeks were red from the wind, she figured her nose looked the same. She also knew she left the house with no wallet. She pulled her jacket off setting it on the stool next to her. "I actually left in a hurry and didn't grab any money. If you don't mind I'll just warm up for a few minutes and be on my way."

Christopher Herrmann looked at her and shook his head. "Nope. It's way too cold for you to be out there . I'll make you a bowl of soup, and just tell Otis here what you want to drink. My treat!" he held up his hand when she started to protest and walked away.

"Scotch please." She smiled at the younger man who stepped into his place. She knew it would warm her faster than any bowl of soup , but she was immensely appreciative of the older man's thoughtfulness. He nodded at her, setting the glass in front of her and throwing out his hand to shake hers.

"Brian Zvonecek . Nice to meet you." He grinned at her. She realized he was waiting for her to shake his hand and she reached out and took it, her eyes darting to the bruise and quickly away.

"Katherin Bend. Otis?" she looked confused.

"My nickname." Like that was an explanation.

"Then call me Kat." She smiled at him, and took a sip from the glass. Yup, there was that burn she was needing . It warmed her up immediately, and she took another one. "Thanks for this. It's brutal out there."

"Yeah, so why is a girl like you wandering the streets of Chicago in winter?" the older man's voice popped back up behind Otis.

"Girl like me?" Kat looked at him eyes squinted .

"Yeah you're what? A buck twenty? You need a thicker coat that that. And no hat or gloves? Where's your momma?" Christopher was showing his fatherly side, prickly as it was.

Kat laughed. "First of all, are you in the habit of serving children? I'm 30 thank you. And second of all, I just ran out of the house without thinking. So… yeah." That sounded like a lame excuse but since these people were strangers she didn't feel like giving the whole story.

The rest of the room was watching and listening. The members of the group that were at the bar moved to be closer so they could get in on the conversation.

"Besides, if I hadn't , then I would have never come into this fine establishment now would I?" she grinned and took another sip of scotch, closing her eyes as it burned it's way down to her stomach. She opened them when she felt a hand on her wrist, and she jerked away.

"What's this?" the older gentleman was nosy, she would give him that . She got the feeling she was in the middle of a family dinner, or something... everyone in the room was watching.

"Nothing, I... fell." _Another lame excuse, what the hell??_ She thought to herself.

"That's a hand print." Otis piped up, and looked at her wide eyed. "Maybe we should explain, we're firefighters. If you're in trouble…" that's when the rest of the guys at the bar stood up and walked over.

Kat rolled her eyes. _Dammit all I wanted was a place to get out of the cold, and I stumble into Little House on the Prairie?_ "Thanks, really." She got up and started putting her coat back on. "I'm all good. Listen cancel the soup, it was really great meeting you." She downed the rest of the glass and scooted it back towards Otis. She started towards the door when she heard a round of expletives coming from outside . Wide eyed she started looking around for another way out and saw none. "Shit. Okay so new plan. That man that's about to come storming in here? He did this" she pointed to the bruise. "I can't deal with him. Is there a back room?"

"You don't need to hide. He's about to walk in to a room with a bunch of firefighters . If he starts something, we'll end it. " came a voice from someone she hadn't noticed before . He was tall and extremely handsome, standing there in front of her, blue eyes staring. He had salt and pepper hair and she could tell he was strong, the muscles shown through his shirt he had on.

She felt a hand on her arm, and flinched before she realized it was small… a woman's. "Hi, I'm Sylvie Brett, and this is my partner Emily Foster. We're paramedics with these guys, they'll take care of any situation that comes up." The little blond woman led her over to a table "You can sit with us." Sylvie grabbed her coat and pointed to the empty stool.

Kat went to open her mouth again when she heard the door fling open, causing her to jump. Both women patted her hands and one shoved a glass of water in front of her, so she had something to hold on to. Kat silently thanked her and took a sip, trying to steady her shaking hands. She felt his presence before she heard him speak, but she didn't look at him.

"Get up. We're leaving." He said, louder than she would have liked. Kat didn't want these men to have to do anything for her, they had done enough already allowing her to be a small part of whatever club they were in for a few minutes, but she knew if she didn't stop him they would.

"Ken... " She whispered but loud enough for the women to hear her. "You need to go."

"Go? Yeah I'll go, with you." He grabbed her by the arm and yanked her to her feet. Kat yelped and that's when the men intervened .

"Hey pal, you need to leave. She said to go, so just walk away." Christopher walked out from around the bar, baseball bat in hand. They kept it behind the bar on case of any belligerent customers or robbery attempts .

"Oh, so you want her? Be my guest. She's used up anyway." Ken said cruelly and shoved her at the crowd of guys standing there. "Just don't say I didn't warn you. Oh and Kitty Kat… we aren't over til I say we are. " with that remark he stormed out of the bar, slamming the door behind him.

Kat realized she had been holding her breath, and finally let it out. The blue eyed man was holding her up, she didn't even realize before until she became all too aware of his hands on her arms. She straightened and stepped back so she could address the room. "Well, thanks for that. I've wasted enough of your time so I'll just go." She grabbed her jacket and stepped towards the door until she heard a chorus of no's.

"I'm Christopher Herrmann. I own this bar, and you are free to stay as long as you want." The silver haired man crossed to stand in front of her and held out his hand.

"Katherin. Thanks really… I'm sorry, I didn't mean for you all to have to deal with this." She shook his hand and smiled at him, embarrassed.

"Don't be sorry, this is what we do. " He responded. "We help people . So now it's settled and you're staying , I'll get you that soup." He walked off grinning .

Kat shook her head. It didn't seem like he got told no a lot, or if he did he just ignored it. She turned to the other men standing there and waved. "Katherin. Everyone calls me Kat."

They each introduced themselves. Joe Cruz, tall and solid Latino. He had a warm smile. He and Brian/Otis were best friends (She would have to ask about the nickname later) . Capp and Tony, driver and second in command on squad. They were quiet but funny. Then there was their Lieutenant, Kelly Severide, the man with the salt and pepper hair and adorable grin. It was painfully obvious that she had walked in on something when she entered the bar, so she decided to reverse the roles. "So, what did I interrupt here tonight?"

They all mumbled, nothing coherent or understandable until Kelly spoke up. "Bad call. Lost a victim, and that's always rough. "

She nodded like she understood. In reality she had no idea. She had been alone for so long, no parents no family that she didn't really have a clue what it meant to lose someone. This thing with Ken was the closest she had come in a long time to having someone and then having them gone. She placated them, telling them she was sure they did everything they could, and that was what was important. Herrmann brought her the soup he promised and poured her another glass of scotch, and the group talked, while she listened. About an hour later the door opened again, and this time a tall blond haired man entered. Kat went to move, she could tell he was with this group but Kelly put his hand on her arm, urging her to stay.

"Hey Captain. Didn't think you would show."

"Paperwork Severide, I've got a lot more to do since the promotion . You might want to do some too. " He slipped onto the stool next to her glancing her way. "Hi there, Matt Casey." He held out his hand to shake hers. What was with these guys and shaking hands ? They were so polite, it almost made her laugh.

"Kat. Nice to meet you…Captain. " She shook his hand firmly, ignoring the look he was throwing over her shoulder at Kelly.

"Kat here likes scotch. You like scotch too don't you Casey?" Kelly would have to fill him in later on this girl. Matt looked her way again, his eyes running over her… he saw wild hair, and bright blue grey eyes… skin still flush from being outside in the wind and cold… he had no idea it was from the situation earlier, not to mention the scotch.

"Sure do." He waved Herrmann down and asked for a glass. "So, what did I miss?"

Kat shook her head. She could tell would be a long night.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: I do not own any of the Chicago Fire, PD or Med characters that show up in my stories… I just like to play with them. I DO own the characters of Katherin, Ken and anyone else that I make up. This one plays fast and loose with the time lines of the seasons… Gabby isn't around and Stella and Severide aren't together.

Warning: Domestic violence mentioned ; language and future sexual stuff.

Chapter 2

The mood got happier as the night went on and more people crowded into the bar. Kat tried to move to a corner on several occasions to get out of the way of the firefighters but they stopped her every time. So here she was, stuck on a stool between two very tall , very handsome men. The owner, Herrmann, he told her if she wanted to press charges against Ken they knew some pretty good police officers that would be glad to help, which lead to Kelly explaining to Matt what he had missed earlier.

"My ex brother in law is a detective in the Intelligence unit at the 21st district. I can call him right now, get him down here." Casey pulled out his phone.

"Oh no , that's not necessary really . He… got mad. I'm fine. " Kat cringed when she heard herself talking . Every textbook response from someone that had been abused was coming out of her mouth. It was automatic, she had said them so many times. "Really, he's not usually like that. " She couldn't stop herself. She didn't miss the look that Casey and Severide gave each other, or the fact Casey went ahead and texted someone when he thought she wasn't looking .

"At least let me look at it." The quiet blond snuck up on her. "We can go in the back for privacy if you want. "

Kat knew she wasn't getting out of this, so she just shrugged her shoulders and followed Sylvie to the back room. The moment they exited the men started chatting like girls in a sorority .

"Call Antonio , Jay, anyone. That guy wouldn't have given up if we hadn't been here." Kelly made it a point to let Matt know.

"She ran out of her house without a hat or gloves… she's barely got a coat ." Herrmann mentioned . "She was frozen when she walked in here earlier. I don't like it, not at all."

Emily Foster was the newest member of house 51, and she sat back and smiled. Even in her short run so far she had seen how this house came together in times of crisis , and helped anyone that needed it. It seemed like this Kat girl was going to be their next "project." She listened to the men talk about what they could do to help, and snickered to herself. Every single one of these guys could be a Disney Prince, they were so noble.

In the back room Kat rolled up her sleeve to show Sylvie her wrist. "See really it's nothing ."

Sylvie gave her a look which caused Kat to press her lips together in silence. "Where else do you have them?" She has seen this before, Kat moved slowly and she knew what that meant.

Kat looked at her like a deer in headlights . "What? I don't…"

Sylvie just shook her finger at her and crossed her arms, causing Kat to glance downward like she had been scolded. She slowly took off her shirt, revealing the myriad of black and blue marks that covered her back and sides. Sylvie gasped, tears sprang to her eyes. "Oh my god honey! Are there more? Do they hurt? You should go to the hospital. "

Kat shook her head vehemently, although Sylvie wasn't sure to what statement. She handed Kat her shirt back, allowing her to get re dressed and waited for the woman to speak. "Yes, there are more. But since we just met I figure you need to buy me another drink before you get me to take my pants off. " She was trying to be funny, but it sounded forced. Sylvie just grabbed her hand and squeezed , not too tight but tight enough.

"You need to report this. Immediately. " the tiny blond was strong when she needed to be, and at this moment she was practically pulling Kat back to the bar area. "Casey, call Antonio right now. " She plopped Kat down on the open stool she had left prior. The men all gave each other looks but everyone knew when she had that tone of voice not to argue with her.

"Already messaged him. He'll be here soon, so will most of the unit." Matt raised his eyebrow at Sylvie "Is there something we should know?"

Kats face burned red, from embarrassment and the scotch. Oh, the scotch. She waved Herrmann down and asked for another glass. He gave her a look but went ahead and poured it. This time she didn't sip, she downed the entire thing in one gulp. Kat closed her eyes as she felt the smooth liquid burn it's way down to her stomach. She could hear Sylvie still talking but the words weren't really clear. She realized that she was on her way to being drunk, probably not the best idea if she was going to be talking to police officers. When she opened her eyes Herrmann had put a cup of coffee in front of her. _God bless this nosy saint._ She took the mug in her hands and breathed in the rich aroma, blowing on it before taking a sip.

"She has bruises everywhere!" Sylvie was not being quiet, even a little. The men turned and looked at Kat, who was still holding the mug of coffee sipping it slowly. She realized she had better just come out and tell them.

"Yeah, he threw me down the stairs earlier. It was a lot of fun but I thought I had better find some less harmful entertainment for the evening." Her attempt at humor fell flat when the men jumped up and started going to get their coats. "Oh geeze no come sit back down." She reached out and grabbed the closest guys arm, it happened to be Kelly. "Yes, he did do that. Yes, I have bruises everywhere, more she didn't see. And I really appreciate you all being such boy scouts, wanting to defend me and all but that guy? He's not someone you want to mess with." Her face flushed even deeper when she realized she was still holding on to Kelly's arm. She quickly let go and grabbed ahold of her cup of coffee again, wrapping her hands around it. "I will talk to your friends when they get here, okay? Can we just go back to having a nice conversation that doesn't revolve around me and my issues? Otis! I want to know where that nickname came from." She turned and faced the bartender, who gave her a look but began the story, while the rest of the firefighters sat back down and waited.

When the door opened a few minutes later the group turned and found one of the members of the Intelligence unit coming in. "Damn it's cold out there!" the first one through the door bellowed, shaking his body out and pulling off his coat. Kats face might as well be a permanent shade of red. The man was hot, Latino and muscular. And oh shit he was coming their way. She shut her eyes and prayed he was not the one she would be talking to. "Matt, how ya doing ?" the man slapped Casey on the back.

"Antonio, can't complain. Listen there's someone I need to introduce you to…" he turned to face Kat and she knew she was in trouble. "This is our friend Katherin Bend. She needs to file a police report at the district, but we thought maybe she could talk to you first. "

"Hi, Detective Antonio Dawson. Nice to meet you. " He stuck out his hand , leaving Kat no choice but to shake it.

"Likewise Detective . I told these guys this wasn't necessary…" she trailed off when she heard all of them start protesting . Antonio looked at them all before commenting "Sounds like I need a drink." Otis shoved a beer at him and he took a long pull before gesturing to Kat to follow him, which she did, holding her coffee cup. "Listen Matt told me a man came in bothering you earlier, but he didn't go into details. Why don't you tell me what happened?" he pointed to an open table and they sat down.

Before she could the door opened again and more members of the Intelligence unit came rushing through the door, shaking off snow off their bodies. Kat glanced at the group coming towards them and bit her lip. _Jesus did this city only hire good looking people?_ Three men and two women waved to the bartenders , grabbed drinks and came to sit with them. Kat felt extremely out of place, she should NOT be here.

"Hey Tonio!" a tall sandy brown haired man with blue eyes and freckles called out to the detective sitting with her. "Who's your friend?" his eyes ran over her like Matts did earlier, causing Kat to again blush a deep red. She knew she looked terrible, getting the shit kicked out of you would do that to a girl.

"Gang, this is Katherin Bend."

"Kat." She quickly corrected him and then cursed herself for doing it.

"Kat. These are my coworkers at the 21st." He started pointing and introducing each member "Officers Kim Burgess, Adam Ruzek, and Kevin Atwater. Detectives Hailey Upton and Jay Halstead. " They all nodded at her. "So you were telling me what happened?"

She sighed. There was no getting out of it, she might as well just tell them. "My ex came in tonight, and tried to force me to leave with him. The guys, they just were being over protective-"

"No! You tell them what actually happened Kat!" Sylvie had snuck up behind the group and made Kat jump.

"Jesus woman you need a bell! Fine. He threw me down the stairs earlier tonight and I left and found my way here to these nice new friends who want me to file a police report. " She had done it. Gotten the words out. She glanced around their faces waiting to see the inevitable pity looks, but instead she saw anger.

"Antonio she has bruises, everywhere. She needs to go to the hospital, the sooner the better . " Sylvie laid her hand on Antonio's arm, and Kat saw the connection between them. Seemed her new tiny sneaky friend had a secret of her own.

Antonio nodded "You want to go now?"

Kat didn't. She didn't want to go at all. She had been to the hospital before , multiple times . All it ever did was piss Ken off more. "I really appreciate the concern, truly . But here's the honest to god truth, if I go he will find out. When he finds out he'll be mad. When he's mad, things happen." She shut her eyes tight trying to block out the images. "It's a vicious cycle and I don't see it ending any time soon." She finished her coffee and got up. "Again, really, thank you. But I should go." She walked back to the bar to hand over her empty cup and grabbed her coat, slipping it on. Before anyone could protest she was back outside in the bitter cold . She bundled up as best she could and started to make her way back to her house.

She didn't get far before she heard a voice calling her name. She turned and found Kelly running after her. When he caught up he pulled her close and pulled a hat down on her head and a scarf around her neck. "Here, at least take these."

She took a deep breath in and died a little . It smelled like smoke and something woodsy, she guessed his cologne. "I'm really sorry about all that trouble. Please tell your friends thanks for the concern." She stood stomping her feet trying to get warm.

"I would rather you tell them yourself, when you come to our house to visit." He grinned at her, and she saw the cute little gap between his front teeth. "Fire house 51, we are on shift tomorrow, second watch. Promise me you'll think about filing the report." He was rubbing his hands up and down the length of her arms in an attempt to keep the circulation flowing but also trying to be gentle.

She wanted to grab this man and kiss him soundly. Hell she wanted to do that to every single person that gave a crap about her tonight. She just knew what trouble her filing a report would bring. "You have your phone ?" she held out her hand and he nodded and gave it to her. She punched in her info and handed it back. "Text me the address and I'll be there." She leaned up and kissed him on the cheek then walked away. Kelly looked down at his phone and laughed at the name she gave herself "Hot mess". He immediately sent her a message with the address and walked back into the bar.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: I do not own any of the Chicago Fire, PD or Med characters that show up in my stories… I just like to play with them. I DO own the characters of Katherin, Ken and anyone else that I make up. This one plays fast and loose with the time lines of the seasons… Gabby isn't around and Stella and Severide aren't together. *I feel like I probably don't need to say this every time…

Warning: Domestic violence, and sexual abuse mentioned ; rated for language and future scenes.

Chapter 3

Kat made it back to her house fairly quickly, and without any issues. She took off her coat quietly, unsure if Ken had come back to the house or not. When she tiptoed upstairs she and found he wasn't there, and breathed a sigh of relief. She found her phone , it was dead of course so she went to the bathroom, plugging it in to the charger she had in there. Kat turned the water on in the shower as hot at she could stand it, then started peeling off clothes, and unknotted her hair. She looked at herself in the mirror at the black and blue marks covering her whole body and wanted to cry. How did she let it get this bad ? She stared until the mirror fogged up then she gingerly made her way into the shower. As the hot water ran down her body she thought back to the extremely sweet people she met tonight . All they wanted to do was help her, a stranger. She told herself she would bring money to the firehouse for the drinks and food, they deserved that. Kat stood under the water for a good 30 minutes , in an attempt to warm up but also to wash away the tiredness and self loathing she felt. She washed her hair and made a mental list of everything she needed to get done. Change the locks. Talk to the hot detectives. Visit the firehouse . She moved her fingers around her body checking for anything broken and didn't feel anything , so no trip to the hospital was necessary . She knew from past experience not to go unless something was broken or dislocated . If she went for every bruise she got… it wouldn't be good. Kat finally rinsed out her hair and turned the water off. She got out and wrapped a towel around her, being as careful as she could with the bruises. Her phone lit up on the counter, getting her attention so she grabbed it and laughed. Kelly had immediately messaged her the address of their house, but she had about 15 other messages from the other fire fighters , even some from the detectives that had been there, with variations of the same message "Hope you are okay. " She scrolled through them and stopped at another one from Kelly that read "If you don't come to the house tomorrow, I'm coming to find you." Normally she would be terrified at getting a message that read that, because normally the person sending it would be threatening her. But this time? She was already warm from the shower but she could feel the heat in her whole body rise. She wasn't blind, the man was attractive in every possible way. She shook her head and tried not to think like that, just responding with a "Did you give my number to the whole bar?" Kat padded off to the bedroom and pulled out warm pajamas, when she heard her phone ping . She grabbed it and plugged it back in to the bedroom charger , and smiled at the response she got. "They're family." She quickly got dressed , slid into bed and decided maybe having a family wasn't so bad after all. "I'm in bed, let me know you made it home in one piece. For some reason I've taken a liking to you crazy folks." His response came quick "Already here. See you tomorrow. " there was no question mark, so she knew he was making a statement . She put her phone down , closed her eyes and fell asleep dreaming of blue eyes and that smile.

The next morning Kat went to stretch and hissed at the pain. Oh yeah, she had fallen, no… been thrown down a flight of stairs last night. She got up and checked herself in the mirror. The bruises were already changing color, with any luck they would fade in the next few days. Kat brushed out her hair and quickly got dressed. She shot a message to Kelly asking for the time to be at the firehouse, and he responded almost immediately with "Any time is good. Can't wait to see you. " _Awwww, that was sweet._ She grinned from ear to ear as she made her way downstairs and into the kitchen . She started humming to herself as she made breakfast , toast with coffee since she was going somewhere. When she finished eating she cleaned up, grabbed her purse she had forgotten the night before, chucking her phone in it, her coat and Kelly's hat and scarf, and headed out the door.

Firehouse 51 wasn't a very far drive from her house. She stopped at a bakery on her way there, figured the crew might appreciate something sweet this morning, and pulled up to their building . She got out and admired it. It looked like it could tell a million stories, of the neighborhood and of its occupants. Holding the box of pastries in one hand and made her way to the front door. When she got there she walked in to what she guessed was the garage. There was a big red firetruck with a ladder attached, a slightly smaller truck and an ambulance parked inside . As she made her way in further she saw a smaller vehicle that said "Battalion Chief" on the side. She stood for a moment in awe, she had never been to a firehouse before and it was all kind of overwhelming . She heard a noise behind her and saw two men walk out one being Kelly.

"You came. " He grinned at her with that same adorable grin she fell asleep thinking about .

"I did." She held out the box "I brought pastries, in case anyone's hungry." The box got snatched from her hands fairly quickly by the older man and Kelly grabbed her now empty hand and gently pulled her towards the door.

"Come on, you can meet everyone officially. The hungry one is Mounch ." He laughed when she gave him a raised eyebrow look.

"What's with you guys and nicknames ? " She waved to the older man who waved back but couldn't speak due to the food he shoved into his mouth.

He led her to the common room where there were a familiar group of people. They all waved and smiled at her making her feel welcome.

"So I know you met most of these people last night." He pointed as he introduced them "My squad members Joe, Capp and Tony." They all waved and nodded to her. "The paramedics of Ambo 61 Sylvie Brett and Emily Foster ." they smiled and waved at her. "And these are the members of truck 81. That's Otis, you met Mounch outside, that's Stella Kidd." He pointed to the third female in the room . "And here's Herrmann."

She turned around and looked into the eyes of the sweet bar owner that was so kind to her the night before . Kat dropped Kelly's hand and wrapped her arms around the older gentleman who was shocked at first but then smiled, patting her on the back gently.

"What's this for now?" he pulled back and grinned at her.

"Thank you. For your kindness and hospitality and … here. " She pulled out a few 20s from her wallet. "This is for the drinks and food last night. It's the least I can do."

Herrmann just threw up his hands and backed away. "Nope, can't accept that. I told you it was on the house, and I meant it. " He walked away and sat down at one of the tables.

"Herrmann you never give anything away, you sure you're ok ? We need to check you for a fever?" Otis teased attempting to put his hand on the other man's forehead and getting it swatted away.

"I'm fine! Listen kid, you can come to Molly's whenever you want. Don't pay attention to these knuckle heads, I give lots of stuff away. " that was met with a lot of laughter causing Kat to smile. At that moment a very large dark skinned man came striding in with Captain Casey .

"Is this the famous Katherin I've heard so much about this morning?" he walked up to her and stuck out his hand to shake hers. She shifted her belongings and was surprised at how strong his grip was. "Chief Wallace Boden."

"Infamous maybe. Call me Kat." She smiled up at him. "Thanks for letting me barge in this morning Chief." She figured they had told him her story already so she didn't feel the need to expand. She waved at Casey who smiled a million watt smile at her. " I didn't come empty handed, there is a funny named man somewhere eating the pastries l brought."

That caused most of the room to jump up and scatter to search for him, leaving just the Chief, Kelly and Matt. "Why don't we go to my office?" he held out his hand to take her coat, which she handed to him and followed the group. "Marcy, can you take this coat for me?" the brown haired woman sitting behind the desk jumped up and did what he asked, and then he pointed her through the door. "Have a seat."

"Um, I really don't want to be a bother…" she wasn't sure why she felt like she had been sent to the principals office, but she did. She sat down in a chair in front of his desk, while he sat behind it. The other two stood towards the back of the room by the door, leaning on the wall.

"No bother. My men told me that you were attacked, and that you didn't want to press charges ?" she started to speak but he wasn't finished so she quickly snapped her mouth shut. "I don't usually like to put our house in the middle of situations that are out of our control but when I have a group of my employees coming to me saying they are concerned, I take notice."

Kat turned around and gave a semi glare to the men standing by the door, then turned back around and started "Sir it's really not that big of deal. " She stopped when she heard Kelly and Matt both walk towards the desk.

"It is a big deal. Not to put your business out there Kat but Sylvie said you were covered in bruises." Kelly sat in the chair next to her.

 _Dammit, why did that pixie woman have to be so loud_. "Okay yeah, she's right. But-"

"No buts. Now I won't force you to do anything, but I strongly suggest you talk to the detectives that were there last night. Or their Sergeant, he could get this taken care of. " She heard Matt make a noise and Kelly and the Chief stared at him for a second before the Chief continued . "I also suggest you go to Med, get the bruises documented. "

Kat closed her eyes tight, wishing she was invisible . She opened them when she felt a hand on hers, she looked down and then at Kelly. "Guys I really REALLY appreciate this, please don't think I'm not grateful for all your kindness and concern. I'll be honest with you, if I go it'll be really bad. He's…" god she almost said it, how powerful he was in this town. That would be a mistake. "He's well connected, let's just say that. I've tried running, hiding… He finds me."

"Restraining order?" Matt spoke up from behind them.

"I've had several. I wish they did something , they don't . " She remembered back to when that first RO was issued and how angry he had been. That time he didn't hit her.. He did something much worse. Her punishment for making him use his power and get the thing thrown out. "I'll talk to the sergeant if you want, but can he come here ? I really don't need to be seen in a police station." Her hand started shaking. Kelly felt it and squeezed trying to silently reassure her.

"I'll call him right now." The chief picked up his phone , indicating they were done with their conversation for now, so the trio got up and left the office.

"Well that was entertaining. He's scary!" Kat whispered afraid he would hear .

The two men with her laughed. "Chief? He's a big teddy bear." Kelly commented and they laughed even harder when her eyes went wide.

"Him? Yeah no, I don't think so." Kat shook her head and followed the men out of the office area and in to the common room again. The crew had tracked down Mounch and had their pastries , so they were all happy and full. Kelly offered Kat as cup of coffee when the alarm bells rang, indicating truck 81 and the ambulance were needed somewhere . Matt squeezed her shoulder gently and walked away with his crew, while Kelly and Kat sat down at a table.

Chief Boden was in his office on the phone. "Voight, I need you to come to the firehouse as soon as possible."

"Everything ok Chief? Your men?"

"They're fine. There's a young lady here that needs to talk to you, and can't go to the district."

Hank Voight knew exactly who he was referring to. The team had come in this morning already talking about her. "Be there soon. " He responded and hung up. He grabbed his jacket "I'm going to 51. The girl you all met last night is there, wants to give a statement." He asked for Antonio to stay there, take the lead if any case came up. "Halstead, with me." Jay grabbed his coat and followed his boss to the car.

When they walked into the firehouse Hank saw her immediately. She seemed to be relaxed sitting there in the station, chatting with Severide and the rest of Squad 3. He cleared his throat as he walked up to the table announcing his presence, Jay tagging along beside him . Kelly and the girl rose together and stood in front of him , and he got a good look at her. She had pale skin, sandy blond hair and dark circles under her eyes, indicating the stress she had been under. "Sergeant this is Katherin Bend. Kat, this is Sergeant Hank Voight of the Intelligence Unit , and you met Jay last night."

Kat smiled at the blue eyed detective. "Nice to see you again." She stuck her hand towards the older man "Kat. Thanks for coming down here Sir." He took her hand and turned it over, showing her wrist.

"This the only one?" he nodded at it, releasing her hand . Kat shrunk back against Kelly, who put his hands at her waist to steady her.

"Um, no sir." She stammered, turning red.

"Well, let's have a talk." He walked to the Chiefs office and waited for her. Jay shook his head slightly and whispered at her "Don't mind him. He's always this way. " then he walked off to the office too.

Kat turned towards Kelly "Maybe this wasn't a good idea…" and he just shook his head.

"No, it is. You want me to go in there with you?" she nodded rapidly. " Voight is rough around the edges but he is fiercely determined to catch the bad guy. He's the right man for this." He walked around her and held out his hand, taking hers and leading her into the office, shutting the door behind them, then closing the blinds.

"Take me through what happened." The sergeant was sitting on the couch she hadn't noticed was there before . He stared at her , and it made Kat nervous .

"Well, I told my ex I was going to leave yesterday… and he… threw me down the stairs." The last part came out rushed and jumbled together. "I'm fine, no broken bones or anything, just a lot of bruises." She still was standing near the door, she felt that was the best place to be for an easy escape. Jay patted the seat next to him indicating he wanted her to sit down so she moved slowly over towards him.

"Lets see." The gruff voice from the couch spoke up again causing Kat to jump a bit.

"See?" she looked at Kelly with wide eyes. She knew this was coming but this was a room full of strangers. She wished the floor would open her up and swallow her.

"The bruises. If you aren't going to Med we need to document them." Jay answered this time, softer and with a more gentle tone. "I would have Brett do it but I saw the ambulance was gone." Kat closed her eyes and nodded . She took her shirt off, and stood in a room with 3 grown strange men, half naked and feeling mortified. She heard a sharp hiss come from both Kelly and Jays directions , and opened her eyes when she felt Kelly come up behind her, like he was trying to protect her. She threw a look at the older man's direction and saw his demeanor had changed. His face had softened, he felt sorry for her. She heard the phone clicking next to her a few times. He motioned for her to put her shirt back on and rose, crossing to her.

"I'm sorry we had to do that. Are there more?" she nodded blinking back tears . "We don't need to see those. I want a name, for you to write your statement and we will go, okay ? " he laid a rough hand on her arm, and could feel her trembling. "Did he do anything else?"

"Not this… no. " she shook her head. No reason to relive that ordeal, the fall had been enough . Hank caught the quick change to her answer but didn't respond to it. He had her sit and write everything down on a pad of paper before asking her again for the name.

"Ken… Kenneth Bowman." This time the older man made a noise, deep on his throat like a growl.

"Who's that?" Kelly asked , and Jay answered .

"He's a major crime boss. Runs the Irish mob that operates out of the South side of Chicago. They are into gun running, drugs, women…" he looked at Kat.

Kat knew what he was thinking… she figured it was easier to let them think she was a common prostitute that had crossed the boss instead of who she really was. The men stood, with Hank taking her information and the copy of her statement and walking out the door. Jay held back a step. "I'll call you if I have any other questions." His blue eyes looked sad a bit as he nodded to Kelly and walked out the door to join his boss.

Kat wanted to go home. She still had things to do , call a locksmith, get some groceries … they didn't understand this was a typical day to her. Kelly came and sat next to her, grabbing her hand. "Hey, if you need a place to crash you can stay with me."

She looked at him with a blank look on her face _why is he inviting me to his house? Oh, yeah… He's a nice guy._ She smiled at him "That's really sweet, but I need to get home. I was going to have the locks changed today…"

"Matt and I can do that. He's owns a construction business and I… well… I just want to watch out for you. " He grinned at her.

Kat was taken back. "Oh, gosh… okay?" she didn't quite know what to say. She reached down and grabbed her bag pulling out his hat and scarf he had lent her. "Here, I brought these back for you."

He shook his head and held up his hand, stopping her from giving them to him. "Keep them." He stood up and motioned for her to follow, so she shoved the items back in her bag and did.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: as always I do not own the characters from Chicago Fire, PD or Med. I just like playing with them. I do own my own characters, Katherin, Ken and anyone else I come up with.

I'm kind of excited about this story – it was a seed that grew overnight and I really hope you like it !!! Also I am so NOT a medical person , so I am throwing out things I have no idea about (numbers and drugs and procedures) please forgive me if I say anything wrong!

Warning: Domestic violence, and sexual abuse mentioned ; rated for language and future scenes. Some of these are going to be a bit graphic, please feel free to skip over them.

Chapter 4

Kat looked down at her watch and realized she has spent most of the day at the fire house. She hadn't felt this relaxed and safe in a very long time. The crew had a relatively easy day, not too many calls. Squad was called out once, and Kat hung out with the office staff until they got back . During a lull in the conversations she checked her phone and saw 57 missed calls and groaned. The crew glanced at each other but no one said anything . "Guys it's been really great hanging out today. Seriously it's been the best, but I have to run. " She started to listen to the voice messages that where left as she made her way to get her coat then out to the truck bay. Kats face turned red when she heard the voice screaming obscenities on the other end, and decided she should listen to them later . She pushed end and turned around to see the majority of the house standing there. "Shit. I guess you heard that. "

"People in Wisconsin could hear that." Herrmann muttered . "That's the guy? The one from last night?"

Kat nodded, shrugging into her coat. "Yeah he came to my house and saw I wasn't there…I should have been there." She pulled the hat Kelly gave her down over her ears and wrapped the scarf around her neck breathing in that scent that was distinctively his. "Thanks again all of you." She waved and took off towards her car.

"Captain, Lieutenant… " Herrmann started "She shouldn't be alone. That guy is going to kill her."

The men agreed and Kelly messaged Jay to see did they could ping her phone and to go her house . Their shift would be over in a few hours and then they could help too.

Jays phone buzzed. He read the message and slammed his hand on the desk , causing the bull pen to jump and Hank to come out of his office . "What. "

"That was Severide. Kat just left the firehouse and apparently that dick called and left a bunch of screaming ranting messages for her. They're afraid he's going to kill her." He got up and pulled on his jacket. "Did she write down her home address on her information?" Hank retreated to his office and brought it back for him. "394 Wabash. Sarge…"

He nodded "Halstead, Upton. You two go. I'll see if we can dump her phone, get recordings of the messages. " the two detectives took off and the rest of the unit got to work pulling what information they could about this "King pin" and Kat.

Kat pulled up in front of her house and sat in the car for a moment. Guess I should listen to these messages . She pressed the number sequence and the voice messages started : _" Kat baby I'm at the house , where are you?" "Kat, I'm not kidding where are you?" "Listen bitch, if you think you can actually leave me you've got another thing coming!" "Kitty Kat, I'm sorry…. You know I don't like when you ignore me…" "Stop ignoring me you whore!"_ Kat shut her eyes tight and let the messages play on and on, until she heard a different voice come on the line. _"Hey Kat, it's Kelly… um… Severide… from the firehouse. Listen can you call or text me and let me know when you're home? The entire team is concerned . Okay bye. "_ she smiled. This guy, he was something . Actually they all were. No one had ever shown concern or caring about her before, it caught her a little off guard. She started a message back to him letting him know she was home and just about to go inside, when she heard pounding on her window. She opened the door to get out of the car and felt a hand wrap around her arm ,pulling her out. She landed on the sidewalk with a thud.

"Bitch where have you been?! I've been calling you all day! You were out with someone weren't you!" Ken stood over her , towering. He was 6'4, and solid muscle. Dressed in a grey suit and black coat, he might have looked dashing if he wasn't so menacing. "Get up!" he pulled her up by the back of her coat, grabbing her hair and causing her to yelp.

"I did errands , I had my phone on silent I'm sorry!" she started apologizing immediately, and tried to hurry inside the house so her neighbors didn't call anyone. That had been a bad night, when the cops came by because of noise and Ken had to deal with them. As she was walking up the sidewalk she heard a car stop and voices yell out.

"Hey! Let go of her!"

 _Oh my gosh, someone is here to save me._ Kat couldn't believe it. She turned around and saw Jay and a woman getting out of their car. Kat recognized her from last night . .. Hailey. That was it, she remembered the name because it was pretty just like the woman was.

"I'm sorry officers what seems to be the trouble ?" Ken turned his smooth talking voice on that he saved for people he was trying to bribe.

"Detectives. Halstead and Upton. We got a call regarding this house, a possible domestic disturbance." He walked over to Kat and held out his hand towards her. "You okay?"

Ken shoved her up the steps of the house – He knew if she was inside they wouldn't be able to follow. "She's just fine Officers." He said that with a snarl. "She just fell getting out of the car is all. She's clumsy, aren't you dear?" he stepped up one step, trying to get her inside.

"Hey, stop. Step away from her , this way." Hailey had one hand resting on her gun but didn't draw it, and motioned at him with the other.

Ken thought for a good 30 seconds before he nodded and walked down the steps towards Hailey with his hands in the air. That's when Jay motioned for her to come with him, so she did. She kept her head down and walked past Ken. She could practically feel the anger rolling off of him in waves. Jay put her in their car and walked back to Ken. "Listen, you need to stay away from her. I don't want to have to come back here you got it?" They couldn't charge him with anything , so they just waited until he took off before getting in the car and turning to Kat in the back seat. "You need to go to med?"

Kat nodded. When she landed on the sidewalk she hit both her knees hard on the concrete, and was afraid she might have actually broken something this time. Jay nodded and radioed to dispatch that they were taking her to Med. Kat remembered she hadn't sent the text to Kelly so she deleted it and responded with "I'm with Jay and Hailey." She saw Ken was already blowing up her phone with messages, so she turned her phone off after she sent the one to Kelly. She leaned back against the back seat , closing her eyes , trying not to cry.

The trio made it to Med pretty quickly . Jay had called ahead and a pretty nurse met them with a wheelchair. "I don't need-"

"Hospital policy honey. Come on , let's get you in a room." She helped Kat into the chair and the group went through the doors and into a room.

"April what have we got? Jay? What are you doing here?" a tall red haired man came walking through the door to the room she was placed in. The nurses helped her into the bed and Jay answered the doctor.

"Will, this is Katherin Bend. She took a hard fall on to both her knees she needs them x-rayed. "

"Okay… but why are you here?" the doctor looked at him strangely, and Kat did too.

"Kat this is my younger brother Will Halstead. He is the best trauma doctor in all of Chicago. Will, Kat is a friend.. " He didn't want to have to tell him about the case but ke knew he needed to. "And we are working on her case. "

Will snorted at his best trauma comment. "You need something don't you." He directed at his brother, who stood there quiet .

Kat just sat still, letting the medical personnel do what they needed to do. When they tried to put monitoring leads on her one of them made a noise that caused the whole room to look. She had pulled Kats shirt down and saw the bruising. "Okay, anyone non essential out. I need to talk to my patient. " the nurses and Hailey left , leaving the two brothers and Kat. "Fill me in, what's going on."

"My ex threw me down a flight of stairs yesterday, that's the cause of the bruises." It was getting easier to just come out and say it. "Today he pulled me out of my car and I hit the sidewalk right on both knees. I heard a crack, not sure if something broke. " She closed her eyes and waited. When she didn't hear anything she opened her eyes again and saw the brothers staring at each other, like they were talking by telepathy. "Its okay, just ask whatever you need to."

Will cleared his throat "Okay, how about history. Age, weight etc. Usually all this is done already when you come through the ER…"he threw a glance at his brother who shrugged.

"Sure, that's easy. Age-30. Height - 5'6. Weight – 120 lbs. Hair – blond Eyes- blue grey. I like long walks on sandy beaches too…"

Will smiled at that comment . "I'm going to have a nurse come in and help you change to a gown, so we can see the extent of what we're dealing with. Pain level?"

Kat shrugged "Body about a 6. Knees are definitely a 10. Is their a number higher than that I can say ? Cause… they hurt."

He called for April again, the nurse that had met them at the car. "Get her changed into a gown and let me know when you're done please, I need to evaluate her knees before assigning any pain meds or next step okay? Jay, a word." He ran his hand under the hand sanitizer pump , smiled at Kat and walked out with Jay following.

"What the hell Jay? She got thrown down a flight of stairs ? Where did you meet this girl?" Will was standing near the desk directly outside her room but far enough away from the door Kat couldn't hear him.

"Actually, she walked into Molly's last night . The firehouse 51 guys were there, her ex showed up causing a disturbance and Casey messaged Antonio to stop by so we all did. She was at the fire house today , and decided to make a statement so Voight and I went there." He glanced towards the room for signs of movement coming towards them and saw none. "She's got bruises covering most of her upper half, I documented them earlier. She did say there were more but we didn't have a female officer or paramedic around so Voight said we didn't need to see them."

"Who the hell is this guy? Tell me you got him." Will was turning as red as his hair.

"Ken Bowman, big time Irish mobster from South Chicago. I can't really say anything else-"

April poked her head out "You can come in now. "

The two men walked back in and couldn't contain their gasps. Kat had changed into a gown so her top half was covered but now her legs were showing . They had multiple purple marks on them, and both her knees were swollen. "I know right ? I look like a Jackson Pollack painting ." Kat felt her face flush again. "So the pain is about a 15 in my knees…" she sucked in air when Will began to touch them, trying to assess the damage.

"She definitely needs ex-rays of both. Tell Radiology we will be on our way as soon as they're available ." He directed these comments at April. " In the mean time have you eaten today?" he turned towards Kat.

"Um, this morning I had toast? And coffee… does that count ? "

He gave her a look like _not even close._ "Hang an IV of fluids , and give her 5 ml of morphine . Your body needs rest to get better. " He explained when she made a noise.

"Yeah but, I can just go home and sleep. Really, I don't want to be a bother …" she made a small cry when the nurse put the IV line in .

"Sorry honey all done. I'll come check on you in just a bit." April patted her hand and walked out.

"Jay can you let Kelly….know…." She was out before she could finish the sentence.

Jay looked at Will "Is that normal?"

Will nodded "She's tiny, and hasn't had a lot to eat so it hit her fast. I'm going to get her to radiology as soon as possible. Are you staying?"

Jay shook his head "I need to get back and update everyone."

"Okay I'll call if there's an update before you get back." They hugged and set off their separate ways. Jay pulled out his phone and called Severide to let him know what was going on.

Kelly was getting into his car when he heard his phone buzz. "Halstead what's up? How is she ?"

"I left her at Med. She is getting ex-rays of her knees to see if she broke anything when she fell, and Will gave her morphine to help with the pain. It knocked her out, and she should be down a good few hours. She wanted me to update you. I'm heading back to the station with Upton, if you wanted to check in on her. "

"Yeah, I'm on my way right now. Thanks Jay." He hung up and immediately sent a group message to second watch to update them. They all responded back that they would be at the hospital as soon as possible, so he took off towards Med.

When he got there he walked up to the receptionist area and gave his name and who he was there for. The receptionist said she would have a doctor come out and let him know what was going on soon, so he sat and waited. Soon the room filled with firehouse members , sitting and waiting on word. The doors opened and Will walked out, surveying the room and smiling . "I'm guessing you all are here for Kat?"

"Prognosis doc? She okay ?"

"Yes Christopher. Knees are going to be sore and swollen for a few days, but no fractures of any kind. We did a full body scan to make sure she didn't have any breaks or anything anywhere else , and she's clear. Just going to be sore for a while." He smiled at the crowds excitement . "I did tell her I don't think it's a good idea for her to be alone, especially going up and down stairs. Do any of you know if she has any family around?"

They all shook their heads. "We just met her last night Doc. But, I already offered her my place if she needed somewhere to go." Kelly stepped forward .

"Perfect. She should be ready to go in an hour or two, just want her to get some more sleep. I'm prescribing her pain medicine to take every 2-4 hours as needed . Make sure she eats something before she takes it, or she'll pass out. She needs a lot of rest for the next few days."

"Done. Thanks Will." Kelly shook his hand. "Can we see her?"

Will narrowed his eyes. Telling this group no was going to go over like a lead balloon. "Yeah, but just a small group and only for a few minutes okay?" he started through the automatic doors and Kelly, Matt, Herrmann and Sylvie followed him . "Here you go, seriously guys 5 minutes . " He pointed to the room and walked off.

They entered the room and found Kat staring up at the ceiling . "Hey there girl… doc gave us the good news, no breaks!" Herrmann patted her feet gently and it caused her to lift her head up and smile at them.

"Hey. What are you guys doing here?"

"We came to see you silly." Sylvie snuck in next to her, and grabbed her hand. "How are you feeling?"

Kat looked at her, but couldn't focus. The pain medicine was way more than she had ever taken before and it was messing with her. "Tinkerbell. That should be your nick name. You guys like nicknames right?" The group laughed and realized this would be a short visit.

"Okay, but only you can call me it." Sylvie leaned down and kissed Kat on the forehead. "We will let you get some more rest." She motioned for the men to follow her but Kat grabbed Kelly's arm stopping him. He nodded at the group and said he would meet them out in the waiting room.

"Hey." He grinned at her, pulling up a stool next to her bed and sitting down. "So Doc said you will be released in a few hours, and that you need to be around someone so I thought I would re offer you my place."

"Yes. I'll stay with you. " She said that with extreme clarity and quickness.

"Good." He squeezed her hand . "Whatever you need we're here for you. " She looked away from him, almost afraid to ask. When she looked back up his eyes were staring into hers. "What?"

She moved over gingerly in the bed. "Will you lay with me? I know it sounds stupid, but…" he didn't let her finish. He just kicked off his boots and climbed up next to her, wrapping his arm around her gently. She laid on one side towards him, her head in the crook of his shoulder and hand laying on his chest. She closed her eyes and breathed in, that smell that she called the Severide scent. The one that was on his scarf, smoke and something woodsy. She took another deep breath and drifted off somewhere peaceful.

They laid like that for another two hours , until she started to stir and Will came in to check on her . "Your crew was about to send out a search party for you Severide. " He grinned at the two of them.

"Oh my gosh I'm sorry Kelly I didn't mean to keep you." Pain meds had worn off and she had just had the best two hours sleep she ever had.

Kelly just smiled. "No biggie." He got out of the bed and pulled his boots on. "I'll be in the waiting room to take you home." He kissed her forehead and walked out.

"Well, normally we don't allow that but… you guys looked too peaceful to disturb . " Will handed her the clothes she came in with. "You need help changing?" she shook her head "Okay let me just unhook you here and you can change and be on your way. " He unhooked the monitors and withdrew her IV, placing a cotton ball and bandage over the red mark. "I'll wait in the hall."

She nodded and when he closed the door she took off her gown, pausing for a moment to look down at herself before putting her clothes back on. She came close today, Ken would have killed her if Jay and Hailey hadn't shown up. She needed to make some plans. How to get away from Ken permanently . Her telling him she was done wasn't doing it. TROs didn't work, he had too many corrupt cops in his pockets. The people in Intelligence seemed nice, like they could be trusted . Kat decided she would talk to Kelly about them when they got back to his place. She pulled her shoes on and called out to Will she was done. He walked back in, handed her a bag with a prescription in it, had her sign a few forms and told her she was set. She grabbed her purse and coat, and followed him to the waiting room where the entire second watch was there waiting.

"Oh guys, you didn't have to wait!" her face turned red but she was appreciative.

"I told them that, but they insisted ." Kelly stepped forward, holding out his arm for her. "Ready?"

She smiled and nodded at him. Turning back to Will she thanked him, and then the whole crew left the waiting room to go to their respective vehicles.

"Molly's , tomorrow night! I know you need to sleep tonight so…" Christopher pulled her into a hug, and tears sprung to Kats eyes.

"Thank you, all of you. That's so sweet" she hugged each crew member and waved as they drove off.

"Home?" Kelly pointed her towards his car and she nodded.

"Home."


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: as always I do not own the characters from Chicago Fire, PD or Med. I just like playing with them. I do own my own characters, Katherin, Ken and anyone else I come up with.

Warning: Domestic violence, and sexual abuse mentioned ; rated for language and future scenes. Some of these are going to be a bit graphic, please feel free to skip over them.

Chapter 5

Kelly unlocked the door to his apartment and stepped aside letting Kat in. She stepped in the doorway and her jaw dropped. "Holy shit Kelly this place is beautiful!"

He smiled and shut the door, making sure to lock it behind him. "Nothing special. So this is my room" he pointed to the bedroom "but you can stay there . I'll take the couch. " He could have chosen the room Stella used to sleep in bit he wanted to be close to Kat, in case she needed something .

Kat shook her head. "No way, you're not sleeping on the couch in your own house . I can-"

Kelly didn't let her finish her thought . "You are taking the bedroom , end of story. How about food? Doc said you need to eat before you take another pain pill." He took her coat from her, hanging it up on the hook near the door. "Need to charge your phone?" he pointed to the cord laying on the counter . "My old roommate always forgot her cord."

Kats ears pricked when she heard that. "She?" she sat down on the stool at the island and watched him move through the kitchen, pulling out ingredients and cookware.

"Oh, yeah you met her at the firehouse. Stella Kidd. She's awesome. She's living over Herrmann's garage now."

 _Huh… interesting bit of info there._ Kat decided to move to another topic. "So you all seem really close." She grabbed her phone and plugged it in. She decided to wait to turn it on until later. "You said you're family?"

He nodded "Yeah, when you work, sleep, eat with the same people for 24-48 hour stretches at a time, you end up being family." He opened the fridge and pulled out a bottle of Apple juice. "I know you shouldn't drink alcohol while taking pain meds, and this is the only other thing I've got. Hope it's okay?"

She smiled "Its perfect." She nodded her thanks when he poured her a glass and set it in front of her. "So how long have you worked there?"

Kelly waited a beat before answering. "Its been a long time. Casey and I started together. Youngest man to make squad ever." He grinned and pointed to himself with a thumb.

"Oh wow!" Kat had no idea what that truly meant but he was proud of that fact so she played along. "That's great! And Casey is Captain ? Are you going that route too?"

Kelly shook his head . "Nope, I don't do politics and that's what it entails. I'll stick to rescues and working with my men." He started water boiling and threw in pasta. "Spaghetti okay?"

She smiled. "Yes, sounds amazing." She couldn't resist the urge to turn her phone on, and when she did she immediately regretted it. Kelly turned around and saw her face.

"What? What is it?" he walked around the island and looked over her shoulder . "Jesus. 100 missed calls, 15 voice mails? 60 text messages ? I think you need a new number…"

Kat shook her head and tossed her phone onto the countertop. "It wouldn't matter. He would get it again." She laid her head down on the cool marble of the island , and felt Kelly's hands on her shoulders. She immediately brought her head back up, tensing for a second when she felt him trying to rub the knots away.

"Is this okay? Your shoulders are completely knotted up. I don't want to hurt you though. "

Kat couldn't speak, she just shook her head and squeaked out a "Its fine." She flipped her hair around to the front to allow him better access. He took his time, being gentle but firm, if that was a thing. Kat closed her eyes and almost fell asleep until she felt his hands let go and she had to grab the counter in front of her to stop from falling backwards.

"Sorry, pastas done." He chuckled, adding the sauce at the very last moment then giving it a quick toss and dishing it up. He scooted her plate towards her. "Eat up. " and started in on his.

Kat just sat there, dumbfounded. She looked down at the plate and took a deep breath in. It smelled like heaven she was sure of it. She hadn't realized how hungry she was until she had it in front of her. Kat picked up her utensils and began to eat.

Across town Ken was fuming . The bitch had gone to the cops, she was NEVER supposed to go to the cops, she knew that. He didn't want them sniffing around his business , but especially not around her. He started making calls and getting all the info he could on these detectives that had shown up to rescue her. When he mentioned their names to his "guy " he was informed they worked in the Intelligence unit at the 21st district, under an alleged dirty cop named Hank Voight. That he could work with. Ken got to work.

Kat pushed the plate to the middle of the counter . "Oh my gosh, that was amazing thank you!" She had eaten more in that meal than she had in the last few days , and it felt great. She grabbed a pill from the bag the doctor gave her, taking a swig of juice to wash it down. "Mark the time – 5:30 pm. I can have another one…" she looked at the instructions "At 7:30. Or 9:30. I guess it depends on my pain level?" she picked up their plates and started to go towards the sink.

"Um, what do you think you're doing?" Kelly hopped up off the stool he was residing on. "You're a guest. Guests don't clean. " He took the plates out of her hands and set them in the sink. "I'll get them later. There's a hockey game on if you want to watch?"

 _Oh crap._ "Sure, sounds good." She smiled at him. _I know nothing about hockey, this will be bad._ They made their way to the couch and sat down. Within a few minutes he was complete enthralled with the game, yelling at the players and the refs, while she tried to keep up.

He glanced over at her once and laughed. She had her head cocked to one side, looking at the screen with a wide eyed look on her face. "Do you have any idea what's going on?"

She straightened her head and turned towards him. "Not really no." He laughed even harder and she felt her cheeks tinge pink.

"Its not too hard. The guys we're rooting for are the Blackhawks. See, that guy on the other team just tripped him and the REF DIDN'T CALL A FOUL!" He yelled at the Tv causing Kat to giggle.

"You're very in to this. Me? I'm a football girl."

He turned to look at her in semi shock. "Really? What team?" he was almost afraid to ask.

She grinned "Green Bay Packers." And he groaned .

"No, you live in Chicago! They're our enemy!" he ribbed her.

"Sorry, but I'm from Green Bay originally, and the history of their team fascinates me. Did you know that the residents of the city own the team?" her face lit up as she talked. "Yup they don't have an actual owner, like Jerry Jones owns the Dallas Cowboys. They sell stock in their team every so often, and the last time they did I got one. You're looking at a proud owner of a national football team!" she did a half bow on the couch and Kelly laughed and clapped. "Bet no one in Chicago can say that huh?"

Kelly had to admit that was pretty kick ass. He gazed at her, face flush but a huge smile on her face and he almost forgot why she was there. She was easy to talk to, and pretty, in a non traditional way. Her eyes were what drew him in though. Through all the sadness she has endured, they still sparkled, and they were a beautiful blue grey mixture. He had never seen eyes that color before. He heard the distant ping of a phone.

Kat groaned and rolled her eyes. She jumped up as fast as she could under the circumstances and checked . "Its not mine. I think he finally gave up. " she came and sat back down next to Kelly and he pulled his phone from his pocket.

"Oh, it's me. Just the guys checking in." She leaned over and looked at the message .

"You started a group message about me?" she wasn't sure if she should feel weirded out or happy.

Kelly laughed "Yeah it was just easier than getting a million separate ones." He showed her the phone . "Nothing bad I promise. They just wanted to see how you were feeling."

She shrugged. "Okay well, if you want to give them a play by play let them know I took my medicine and ate like a good girl and now I'm going to get a shower. Oh, can I use your shower ?" she smiled at him and he laughed.

"Of course." He pointed towards his bedroom "Through there."

"One more favor? I have no clothes besides the ones on me, and I'm ready to ditch them. Any spares from your ex roommate laying around?"

He shrugged " Her room was upstairs so I'll check while you're in the shower."

She bent down and kissed him on the cheek then padded off to his bathroom, smiling.

He watched her go, very aware of how good she looked walking away from him. He shook his head _Can't think like that Kelly_ and made his way upstairs to Stella's old room. He felt weird being in here, he hadn't set foot in it since she left. He searched through the closet and drawers but didn't find any left behind items. He was making his way down stairs when he heard singing. Nothing he recognized, just notes. The got closer to the bedroom and he could hear her clearer. He had to stop and lean against the door frame so he could listen.

What would I do without your smart mouth

Drawing me in, and you kicking me out

Got my head spinning, no kidding, I can't pin you down

What's going on in that beautiful mind

I'm on your magical mystery ride

And I'm so dizzy, don't know what hit me, but I'll be alright

My head's under water

But I'm breathing fine

You're crazy and I'm out of my mind

'Cause all of me

Loves all of you

Love your curves and all your edges

All your perfect imperfections

Give your all to me

I'll give my all to you

You're my end and my beginning

Even when I lose I'm winning

'Cause I give you all, all of me

And you give me all, all of you

 _Holy shit_ he thought _she's good!_ He didn't want to scare her, so he crept into the bathroom and hoisted himself up onto the counter, waiting til she was done.

 _How many times do I have to tell you_

 _Even when you're crying you're beautiful too_

 _The world is beating you down, I'm around through every move_

 _You're my downfall, you're my muse_

 _My worst distraction, my rhythm and blues_

 _I can't stop singing, it's ringing, in my head for you_

 _My head's under water_

 _But I'm breathing fine_

 _You're crazy and I'm out of my mind_

 _'Cause all of me_

 _Loves all of you_

 _Love your curves and all your edges_

 _All your perfect imperfections_

 _Give your all to me_

 _I'll give my all to you_

 _You're my end and my beginning_

 _Even when I lose I'm winning_

 _'Cause I give you all of me_

 _And you give me all, all of you_

 _Give me all of you_

 _Cards on the table, we're both showing hearts_

 _Risking it all, though it's hard_

 _'Cause all of me_

 _Loves all of you_

 _Love your curves and all your edges_

 _All your perfect imperfections_

 _Give your all to me_

 _I'll give my all to you_

 _You're my end and my beginning_

 _Even when I lose I'm winning_

 _'Cause I give you all of me_

 _And you give me all of you_

 _I give you all, all of me_

 _And you give me all, all of you_

Kat turned the water off and opened up the shower door to find Kelly sitting there grinning . "Jesus Kelly what are you doing ??" he had his eyes covered with one hand holding a towel out to her with the other.

"I couldn't find any clothes in Stella's old room, but I've got plenty you can borrow for tonight." He felt her grab the towel from his fingers.

"Thanks ? Again I ask what are you doing in here. Oh good Lord you can open your eyes."

He grinned that adorable grin at her. "I heard you singing." He hopped down off the counter and stood in front of her, surveying the bruises. Some he had previously seen, some had been hidden.

"Oh, that. Sorry did I bother you? I just… like to sing." She ducked around him and walked into his bedroom with him in tow.

"No, you didn't bother me at all… you were really good. Is that what you do for a living?" he sat on the bed and pointed to his closet watching Kat retreat into it.

Kat snorted. "No, I don't really have a job. I mean, I guess I should probably get one…" she trailed off and Kelly lost what she was saying until she came out dressed in one of his t-shirts, holding the towel. "Ken basically took care of anything I needed." She looked down at the floor realizing how sad that sounded.

Kelly needed to look away, but he couldn't . Her skin was pink from the hot water, and it was a stark contrast to the purple marks he saw all over her legs and thighs. His temper flared and he had to fist his hands to stop from punching something . Kat could sense it. She tossed the towel in the hamper sitting in the corner of her room, and stood in front of Kelly in between his legs. "Listen, Kelly, I know it looks bad but believe me they fade." She grabbed his face with her hands trying to get him to look at her face instead of the bruises. "I say this from experience, in a few days they'll be gone and this will be a memory . " They stayed like that for a minute before he broke the silence.

"That doesn't make me feel any better. " He responded. "You shouldn't have to deal with this Kat, with him."

She nodded "I know." She wanted to tell him everything, about who she was, how she didn't want this life, she was being forced to be a part of it. She hated what Ken had done to her, time after time. The excuses she had to make of why she couldn't go somewhere, be around people… all of it. She felt tired. She checked the clock on his night stand. Her pain was actually manageable so she didn't want to take another pill. "How about we finish watching the game?" she changed the subject and went to walk away from Kelly when she felt him grab her hand pulling her back towards him.

"I want you to stay here. Til you get a game plan, okay? We can go tomorrow and get stuff from your place. "

She smiled and leaned down to kiss his cheek, but he turned his head and she hit his mouth instead. She felt a jolt of electricity run through her lips and she stepped back, holding her fingers to them.

"Hey, don't run away, I won't hurt you." He stood up and brought her closer to him. "I'm not him, that's for damn sure."

She smiled and nodded at him. In her mind she knew that. This man could never be like Ken. Here, she was safe.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: As always I do not own the characters from Chicago Fire, PD or Med. I just like playing with them. I do own my own characters, Katherin, Ken and anyone else I come up with.

A/N2: I am originally from Green Bay, Wisconsin. The fact about their football team is true, my folks own stock in them , and are season ticket holders :) just had to throw that in there. Also I am a singer , so my stories include a character that sings. It's what I know, so I write about it.

Now the Warnings: Domestic violence, and sexual abuse mentioned ; rated for language and future scenes. Some of these are going to be a bit graphic, please feel free to skip over them (first being right now)

Chapter 6

 _He was on top of her, pinning her down. "Don't make a sound Kitty Kat… you'll regret it." He pulled her pants down , forcing himself between her legs. "You know you like it rough." He whispered in her ear. Kat wanted to die. He was deep inside her, and it felt like her insides would bust open. She bit her lip to the point she tasted blood, but she stayed quiet. If she didn't she knew it would be way worse. He finished and rolled off of her, throwing a towel at her. "Clean yourself up and get downstairs. " He adjusted himself and walked out of the room, slamming the door behind him. Kat flinched but didn't move until she heard his footsteps down the hall and his voice downstairs. Then she moved gently to the bathroom , looking at herself in the mirror and silently sobbed._

Kelly sat up like a bolt of lightning hit him. He blinked a few times and realized he had fallen asleep. Then he heard it again, a noise coming from his bedroom. He jumped up and ran in to find Kat, tangled up in the sheets and yelling .

"Get off me! Leave me alone!!" she was yelling at the top of her lungs and sounded petrified . He sat on the bed next to her, peeling the sheets back from her and gently scooping her up he put her in his lap.

"Kat, you have to wake up. You're having a nightmare." He rocked her, stroking her cheek with his finger till her body relaxed and she opened her eyes. She blinked a few times trying to focus on the face in front of her.

"Kelly? What… happened ?" she knew something had, she had gone to bed alone and now she was in his lap.

"You were screaming , sounds like you had a nightmare." He sat her back on the bed but didn't move from his spot. "You okay?"

She screwed her eyes shut tight and nodded. _Ugh he's going to want me to leave_. When she felt his finger under her chin she opened her eyes. He had turned her face to look at his.

"Don't hide. I'm right here." He kissed her gently on the forehead. "You want me to go?" She shook her head rapidly back and forth indicating no. "Okay then I'll stay right here." He pulled the sheets back so she could slide under them again. He felt her grab his arm and he looked down at her tear filled eyes. "I'm not going anywhere, I promise." He lifted the sheets and slid in next to her, wrapping an arm around her like he did in the hospital. She curled into him, laying her head on his chest, while his fingers made lazy designs on her bare shoulder, he was trying to relax her. It worked, within a few minutes her breathing evened out and she was asleep again. Kelly on the other hand didn't sleep. He thought of all the ways he was going to make this man pay.

The next morning Kat woke up to arguing . She could hear Kelly talking very loudly to someone in the living room, but she only heard one side of the conversation so she figured he was on the phone. She washed up in the bathroom, searched through his closet to find the closest thing she could fit into and went searching for him. He had his back turned towards her and she took a moment to admire him without his knowledge. His body was tense, the conversation wasn't going the way he wanted she deduced. She could see his muscles moving as he flung his arm up and down, making his point to the person on the other end of the line. He was pacing and she heard him say "Damn it Voight this guy is really bad! You need to put him down I don't care who he is!" he turned and faced her after that comment, quickly ending the phone call when he saw her standing there. "Hey, you're awake. How you feeling ?" he threw the phone on the couch and walked towards her.

"I'm fine… listen Kelly about last night…"

He gave her a tender hug and quick kiss on the temple before going towards the kitchen, completely ignoring her attempt to apologize. "You want eggs? How's your pain, you need a pill?" he started pulling things out of the fridge and cabinets.

She sighed. "No damn it Kelly, stop and look at me." She didn't mean to snap at him, he had been nothing but amazing to her, but she needed to get this out. He stopped immediately and turned towards her. "I'm sorry, about the yelling and the nightmare. I'm sorry for waking you up, and scaring you. " He had started to make his way towards her while she talked, and was now standing in front of her. "I'm usually alone when I have those, so I'm sorry that I disturbed you…" she stopped finally when he leaned down and kissed her, taking her by surprise. He was gentle about it though, not forceful in any way. Kat didn't believe for a second he ever would be. When they pulled apart she looked at him with doe eyes. "What did you do that for?"

"I had to get you to stop the self depreciation somehow didn't I?" he grinned at her and turned back to go into the kitchen. "So, do you want eggs or not?"

She ran her fingers over her lips and nodded absentmindedly, forgetting he wasn't looking at her anymore. She sat down at the island and glanced over at her phone, cringing. "Holy shit, I think my phone keeled over from the amount of messages and calls I've been getting . Maybe I **should** try and change my number?" She started scrolling through the calls and messages looking for any that weren't from Ken. 99% of them were ignored, but she had a few missed calls from a number she didn't recognize. "Hey do you know this number?" she read it off to him and he nodded.

"That's the district's number , probably Sergeant Voight on his office phone. " He started scrambling eggs and adding cheese to the bowl.

She dialed the number and waited. "Voight. " a gruff voice came over the line, startling her.

"Oh, hi… um… this is Katherin… Bend… we met yesterday? I saw you tried calling my cell… sorry. " God she was nervous. This man scared her more than the fire chief did. She could hear Kelly snicker at her.

"Yes, I need you to come to the station today. We have some more questions for you. " No please, just a demand. She was used to that, though his tone was better than the one she was usually dealing with.

"Sure, not a problem. I'll have Kelly bring me, what time?"

"Sooner the better ." He answered and the line went dead.

"Oh, okay thanks so much for your time. Ok bye." She continued even though he had hung up.

"He hung up already didn't he. " Kelly was laughing .

"He doesn't know how to finish a phone call…" Kat muttered causing Kelly to laugh harder. "He said I need to come in as soon as possible, they have more questions for me."

Turning off the burner to the stove Kelly dished up the eggs on two plates and turned around to pass one to her. "No problem, we can go after we stop and get you clothes." He inhaled his plate of eggs before she had even started on hers. "I'm gonna get changed, hurry up and eat."

She watched him walk away and sighed a little bit. No denying the man was attractive, and sweet, caring, nurturing… He showed those sides last night . She started eating , humming to herself, and decided against taking a pain pill. After she was finished she quickly cleaned off their plates _guest be damned I'm cleaning these dishes_. She pulled on her shoes, groaned as she looked at her phone again and waited.

He walked out a few minutes later, stopping at the couch to grab his phone he had thrown there earlier. She could tell he had gotten a shower, his skin had a pink tint to it. "Ready to go ?" and she nodded at him. They loaded up with coats hats and the like and took off.

After a brief stop at her house to grab clothes and essentials , they headed to the district. Kat could feel her butterflies in her stomach, a whole mess of them flapping around . They stopped at the front desk and spoke to another sergeant, this one named Trudy Platt. She was an older lady with a spitfire attitude and Kat liked her immediately.

"She's married to Mounch." Kelly whispered to her when her back was turned .

Kat eyes lit up "The man with the funny name!" She giggled and cocked her head to the side looking at the Sergeant's back "I can see that actually…"

"Voight's expecting us." He informed Trudy so she took them upstairs.

"Why are they behind a cage door?" Kat whispered to Kelly as they ascended the stairs.

"Because no one is allowed up here without clearance. " Trudy answered. "Hank, you have visitors. "

He strode towards them "Thanks Trudy." He stopped and shook Kelly's hand and motioned at her to join him in his office. When they got to the door he stopped "Just her. Sorry Kelly." And shut the door behind her. "Have a seat."

Kat knew she hadn't done anything wrong, yet somehow she felt like she was being punished for something . Maybe that was just the way this man was, scary and intimidating. It probably worked on criminals, it was definitely working on her. She sat down and he sat across from her behind his desk. "Yes sir, how can I help?"

He shoved a picture at her. "I need you to verify this is the man we are after."

She picked it up , nodding. "Yes, this is Ken." She sat it back down on the desk and clasped her hands together, waiting.

"I also need you to explain to me the relationship between you two. Are you his employee? Girlfriend? Wife?" he stared at her, causing her face to turn red.

She took a deep breath and started . "No, I was never his employee, not really. I guess you could call me his girlfriend? I was working at a club as a singer and he came in one night and saw me, basically told the owner that if he didn't introduce us he would have him… whacked I believe was the term that was used…something mobsteresque." she shook her head. "At first it was fine, dinners, presents… I felt bad he was giving me all these things but he told me I was special. I had just moved from Wisconsin to Chicago with the thought of becoming a singer… "

"He took advantage of you."

"Yes. I mean at first I was a willing participant, all I had to do was dress up and be his date for a few events. But then he would get mad at me if I wasn't available when he needed me. Forced the club owner to fire me so he could have me all to himself… then the abuse started. " She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "It wasn't much first, he would apologize right away, say he would never do it again… " she opened her eyes and Hank had moved , leaning against the front of his desk in front of her.

"How many hospital trips?"

She had to think for a second on that one. "2 overnight stays. Broken collarbone and a broken arm. I went to the ER the first time he hit me but that just made it worse. After that I learned only to go when something was broken."

"And you never filed a police report ? TRO? I'm surprised the hospital didn't file something . "

She nodded "They tried, I tried. I've attempted to get several TROs, somehow the paperwork gets lost in the system, they never get filed , or they're just thrown out. This man, he has friends everywhere Sergeant. I only am talking to you because the Chief suggested it, and it seems like his men trust you." She looked down at her hands. "I know he has cops in his pocket, I just don't know where or which ones."

Hank growled at that remark. "Not me, and not my team."

"Please understand , I've done this for years now. This song and dance with him. It gets bad, then better, then worse, then okay." She stared into his eyes. "I'm tired. Really tired. I put my trust in people, and I'm usually disappointed and let down. "

Hank moved again this time to sit next to her. He held out his hand and she put hers in it. He squeezed gently "Let me tell you something Miss Bend, I go after some of the worst people in Chicago, and I almost never lose. When I tell you we will do everything we can to get him, I mean that. I'll be honest with you, because you deserve it. I don't always go by the book, so I'm asking you right now, are you ok with that?"

She didn't hesitate before answering "Sergeant, if this man disappears and is never seen again I am 100% okay with that. I've lived in fear for way too long." She pulled out her phone from her bag and handed it to him.. "This is how many times he's attempted to contact me since yesterday. I would consider that harassment of some kind…right?"

Hank let go of her hand and took the phone , scrolling through the messages and missed calls. His eyes flashed with anger, she could see it while he looked at the screen. "Can we keep this?"

She nodded "Yes of course. I'll give you my password to every email address and social media account , my voice mails, you have my permission to search all of it." He got up and grabbed her a pen and piece of paper so she could write it all down.

"Are you staying at Kelly's?" he asked when she was done writing.

"Yes, for the time being. " She nodded.

"Then if I need to talk to you I'll call him, until you can get a new phone and number." They rose together and he opened the door for her. They walked out into the bull pen , causing the entire room to jump up. "Ruzek, this is Miss Bend's phone. Pull everything off of it. Phone calls, voice mails, text messages. We need to have proof of harassment, that's our first step ."

The man jumped up and grabbed the phone from him "Got it Boss."

Hank turned to Kat, taking her hand and clasping it in his. "Thank you for coming by. I'll be in touch soon." He walked her to the staircase where Kelly was standing waiting . "Severide." He nodded at him and walked back to his office, dismissing the two.

They had made their way down the stairs and through the cage door before either spoke. "So? What did he say ?" Kelly turned to her stopping by the front door of the precinct.

"He said to trust him. And I do." She smiled and they walked out of the 21st.

The rest of the day was uneventful. Kat regretted not taking the pain pill that morning , by the time they got done at the district she was hurting and Kelly could see it, so he suggested they head home and relax.

"We can cancel tonight, if you're hurting too bad. The guys will understand." He said as he lead her back into the apartment .

"Are you kidding ? Hell no. These people have been so supportive , there's no way I'm backing out on them." She poured herself a glass of juice and downed the pill with it. "Besides, you need a night off babysitting duty." She smiled at him. "It'll be fun."

They had made their way to the couch. Kat laying against Kelly's side , her legs stretched out over the opposite end. He had his arm around her, careful of the bruises on her ribs. They watched old movies for the rest of the afternoon until it was time to get ready.

Around 5 Kat got up, careful not to disturb Kelly ,he had fallen asleep during _Casablanca_ , grabbed her bag and headed to the shower. There she carefully peeled off her clothes and checked her bruises. As suspected they were already turning green and yellowish. _At least they're Packers colors now._ She turned to the shower and started the hot water. She tested it before easing her way in. Closing her eyes she let it run down her battered and bruised body, but for once she felt like something good might actually happen, instead of the same old song and dance. Maybe it wasn't luck that led her to Molly's that night. Maybe she finally deserved something… someone good in her life.

Kelly jerked awake, after he heard a noise coming from the bathroom. He hasn't meant to fall asleep but he had been up all night , watching Kat sleep and thinking of all the ways he would make this Ken guy pay… he felt relaxed with her laying against him, and he couldn't help it. He realized she was singing again when he got up and moved towards the bathroom.

 _I've made up my mind,_

 _Don't need to think it over_

 _If I'm wrong, I am right_

 _Don't need to look no further,_

 _This ain't lust_

 _I know this is love_

 _But if I tell the world_

 _I'll never say enough_

 _'cause it was not said to you_

 _And that's exactly what I need to do_

 _If I end up with you_

 _Should I give up?_

 _Or should I just keep chasin' pavements_

 _Even if it leads nowhere?_

 _Or would it be a waste_

 _Even if I knew my place?_

 _Should I leave it there?_

 _Should I give up?_

 _Or should I just keep chasin' pavements_

 _Even if it leads nowhere?_

Kelly smiled – _she is really talented_. He decided to talk to Stella, Herrmann and Otis about her singing at the bar. That might be a nice distraction from the situation that was going on. He didn't want to scare her again so he found clean clothes , got changed and sat on the bed waiting for her to get done.

He heard the water turn off , but she kept singing.

 _I build myself up_

 _And fly around in circles_

 _Waitin' as my heart drops_

 _And my back begins to tingle_

 _Finally, could this be it_

 _Or should I give up?_

 _Or should I just keep chasin' pavements_

 _Even if it leads nowhere?_

 _Or would it be a waste_

 _Even if I knew my place?_

 _Should I leave it there?_

Kat walked out of the bathroom, towel wrapped around her, and jumped a foot when she saw Kelly sitting on the bed. "Good God!" she grabbed her chest "You are going to give me a heart attack one of these times!" she picked up the bag she had tossed in the corner and threw it on the bed, rummaging through it. He just grinned at her, not saying anything. She turned and looked at him "What? Use your words Kelly."

"You're really good. Like… you should be on stage good." His eyes sparkled and Kat knew he had something up his sleeve.

"Well, thank you. I did actually used to be on stage… I was singing at a club when I first moved to Chicago. " She found the outfit she was looking for and went back into the bathroom to put it on. Kelly tried following her but she waved her hand at him and pointed to the bed, so he sat back down.

"I think you should sing at Molly's. I wanna talk to the owners tonight about it, if you're okay with that. "

"Owners? I thought it was just Herrmann?" she poked her head back through the doorway. "How many are there ?" she said before disappearing back into the bathroom.

"Well, technically four. Otis, Herrmann, Stella and Gabby."

"Wait, who's Gabby?" she called out to him.

"Matt's ex wife, Antonio's sister. She moved to Puerto Rico not too long ago to help with the relief efforts from the hurricane. She used to be a firefighter. And paramedic with our house . "

"Oh wow! That's so… I can't even think of a strong enough term for how awesome that is!" she stepped put of the bathroom and Kelly's jaw dropped. She was in tight jeans, had a deep blue sweater on that matched her eyes, heels and she had done her hair up in some sort of twist since it was wet. "What?" she looked at him, then down at herself.

"Uh, nothing . You look great." Kelly looked away before she caught the desire in his eyes. "You ready?"

She nodded, knowing that there was more behind his words, but she didn't push it. "Yup!"

They made their way to the door and he held her coat out for her, then put his own on. She grabbed the hat he had given her and pulled it down over her wet hair to try and keep the cold at bay. He grabbed the scarf and put it around her "Don't forget this." She took a deep breath in and they walked out the door.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: As always I do not own the characters from Chicago Fire, PD or Med. I just like playing with them. I do own my own characters, Katherin, Ken and anyone else I come up with.

Now the Warnings: Domestic violence, and sexual abuse mentioned ; rated for language and future scenes. Some of these are going to be a bit graphic, please feel free to skip over them. *side note – typically my "sex scenes " aren't graphic, but for some reason I went all out on this story. Just a word of warning!!

Chapter 7

The pair walked in to Molly's and were met with a chorus of greetings . Kat grinned, she immediately felt a thousand times better being there .

Kat motioned to Christopher so he leaned over the bar and she whispered in his ear. "Herrmann, please get Kelly whatever he wants, on me. He's off babysitting duty for the night and I want him to have fun."

He leaned back and grinned at her "You got it kid!"

Kelly asked for a beer and they sat at the bar for a few hours, chatting with his squad members. Kat was silent, sipping her cranberry juice since she wasn't drinking alcohol and surveying the crowd. She glanced at Kelly who was completely in his element, happy and talkative with his men, grumbling over the loss the night before . Kat realized he was talking about the hockey game she didn't finish watching and made a mental note to try and get tickets for him and his crew as a thank you for everything they had done . Her mind snapped back to attention when she heard Kelly say her name .

"Herrmann, you need to hear Kat. She's fan-tastic!" Kat realized he had been served more than one bottle, and he was feeling it.

Herrmann looked at her and she shrugged. "When I moved here I started singing at a club." She patted Kelly on the arm. "I think he just hasn't heard anyone sing in awhile…"

"No, you're really good. " He dropped his voice, and the tone made Kats heart swell a bit. No one had been her champion before, not even a little bit. So the fact that he was so adamant that she was good made her giddy.

"Hey if you're game, we have a microphone and speaker system we use for Karaoke night!" Herrmann waved Otis over and waited for her answer.

"Oh lord. I guess… " She yelped when Kelly jumped off his stool and picked her up, swinging her around before realizing what he had done.

"Damn sorry, did I hurt you?" his face looked sad for a moment like a puppy dog that has been scolded.

"No, just surprised me is all. " she smiled at him. "I'm fine really." She turned to the bartenders "Okay, point me in the direction of the microphone !" She followed Otis to the back of the bar, where she said a silent prayer and hoped she wouldn't be horrible. He announced her and the crowd clapped , looking a bit shocked but that she could work with. She took a deep breath and started…

 _When the rain is blowing in your face_

 _And the whole world is on your case_

 _I could offer you a warm embrace_

 _To make you feel my love_

 _When the evening shadows and the stars appear_

 _And there is no one there to dry your tears_

 _I could hold you for a million years_

 _To make you feel my love_

 _I know you haven't made your mind up yet_

 _But I will never do you wrong_

 _I've known it from the moment that we met_

 _No doubt in my mind where you belong_

 _I'd go hungry; I'd go black and blue_

 _I'd go crawling down the avenue_

 _No, there's nothing that I wouldn't do_

 _To make you feel my love_

 _The storms are raging on the rolling sea_

 _And on the highway of regret_

 _The winds of change are blowing wild and free_

 _You ain't seen nothing like me yet_

 _I could make you happy, make your dreams come true_

 _Nothing that I wouldn't do_

 _Go to the ends of the Earth for you_

 _To make you feel my love_

 _To make you feel my love_

When she got to her last note the entire room paused for a beat before bursting out in applause and cheers. Kat blushed a deep red and handed Otis the microphone before doing a semi curtsey and scooting back to her seat at the bar. "There. Happy?" she looked at Kelly and sucked in her breath. He had a look in his eyes she hadn't seen before… "Um, Kelly?"

He didn't say a word, just threw money down on the bar before getting up, pulling on his coat and walking to the front door. He stopped halfway there and looked back at her "You coming?" and kept walking.

Kat looked at Herrmann who had a huge grin on his face. "I…thank you for tonight." She picked up Kelly's money and placed her own down causing Herrmann to chuckle, then grabbed her coat , waved to everyone and walked out the door.

She stepped outside and saw him leaning against his passenger side car door. She had to think fast as he tossed her the keys "You drive." She nodded and got in, leaning over and unlocking his door for him. When they were both in he turned to her and started to speak. "I need to tell you something…"

Kat was nervous but she nodded. "Go ahead."

He looked down at his hands and then back at her. " I've had a lot of relationships, I was engaged a few times, even married once."

None of that was shocking to Kat, he was attractive, had a dangerous job and had the personality of a saint so she wasn't surprised. "Okay?"

He looked at her with his big blue eyes "I like you. A lot. And I know you've been hurt, really badly… I saw you up there singing and I knew, I want to be with you."

Kat blushed and shook her head. "Kelly you've known me 3 days. You can't possibly know that…"

He leaned over , his lips near her ear , she could feel his breath on her temple. "I do. Tell me you don't want me too."

She couldn't . For all the pain and heartache she had been through, she could see herself being with this man. She pulled back and gazed in to those blue eyes, and she knew it was a mistake, but she did it anyway. "I do."

His lips crashed into hers, his tongue teasing and coaxing them until she opened her mouth and allowed him entrance. She grabbed the back of his neck, fingers dragging through his hair, pulling him closer. When they broke apart they were breathless. "Lets go home." Kelly finally said after a few moments of the two of them trying to catch their breath. She nodded and started the car, driving back in silence.

When they got back to the apartment, they walked in and deposited their belongings on the kitchen island, before Kelly held out his hand to lead her to the bedroom. She took it, toeing off her heels and leaving them by the front door before following .

"We don't have to do anything Kat. Not a thing. Your comfort is my only concern. " He sat on the bed with her standing between his legs, his hands at her waist.

She smiled , cupping his face in her hands and leaned down to kiss him. It wasn't with the same intensity as their kiss in the car, this one was slow, but it caused the same reaction. She stood up, grabbing her sweater with both hands and dragging it over her head, she dropped it next to her on the floor. "You make me comfortable." She said to him, as his eyes roamed the green and yellow marks on her body. She could see his mood changing so she quickly pulled his face up so he was looking in her eyes. "YOU make me feel safe." She turned around and started walking towards the bathroom, pausing to bend over and peel off her jeans.

He got a good look at her ass when she did that, and he groaned at the discomfort his jeans were giving him. God she really was beautiful, despite the horrible markings marring her body. He could hear her , running water and washing her face as he flopped back onto the bed. He had to laugh despite his uncomfortable position at the moment . Kelly heard the water turn off and she came back into the room, fresh face slightly pink, standing in nothing but her bra and panties.

She threw him a look "You're overdressed aren't you?"

He hopped up and pulled off his shirt. Kats eyes widened and she had to stop from outright purring at the sight in front of her. He was well built, she had already known that but now he was right in front of her, shirtless. She stepped closer to him, running her fingers down his chest until they hit the top of his jeans , causing him to suck in a breath of air. When she popped the button she pushed him back onto the bed, taking her down with him. They both laughed and he rolled her over so she was laying beneath him. "You tell me to stop, I will." He started kissing down her neck, over her collarbone, and then down her sternum. He reached under her to unhook her bra, and flung it to the side. Then his head dipped down again, kissing the spot in between her breasts before moving to the nipples, right then left. He made sure to work slow, so that if it was too much for her he could stop. She was breathing heavy, making little mewling noises as he moved his way over her body . Kelly's head dipped even lower, to her stomach , then navel, before reaching her panties. "Do I need to stop " He murmured against her hip bone, his fingers hooked in the top of them. He glanced up and saw her shake her head. "Say it Kat, I need to hear the words."

"Don't. Stop." She managed to get out before he pulled them down and continued the sweet assault of his lips on her body. He avoided her clit for now, continuing to kiss down her body. Thighs, knees (He took extreme care with those), calves, until he reached her feet. He held them up and kissed the bottoms of each of them, carefully nipping at the pads making her giggle. Then he worked his way back up to the spot he had avoided earlier. He spread her legs apart gently, giving her plenty of time to tell him no, before burying his nose in between them. She gasped , but not out of pain. Kat was so turned on by his gentle, slow way that she almost couldn't stand it any longer . Kelly ran his tongue up her, before she felt him ease off her as he pulled down the offending pants and his boxers. He then repositioned her so she was laying with her head on the pillows before he continued. "Are you sure." He didn't want there to be any doubt, and Kat knew in that moment she was safe.

"Yes, 100 , 200, 500 percent Kelly I'm sure." She heard the tear of a wrapper as he rolled on a condom , taking a few extra seconds to allow her to change her mind. When she wrapped her arms around his torso, he could feel her nails digging in to him, pulling him close. He made sure to go slow, allowing her again time to change her mind but she didn't. Her breathing quickened when he entered her, and he could feel how tight and wet she was.

It didn't take long for Kat to be at the point. Kelly knew when she was close, her thighs started to tremble and she made the cutest purring noises. He bent down and took one nipple in his mouth, rolling it with his tounge, one hand under her holding her at her lower back. Kat moaned "Oh god yes Kelly PLEASE…" and he stopped being gentle. He moved quicker , harder inside her. Thrusting in and out, he hit the exact right spot to make her tip over the edge and see stars. When he felt her go he let go too, capturing her mouth with his until they came crashing down off their high together . He rolled off her, disposing of the condom in the bathroom and coming back to the bed to lay next to her. She was still, looking up at the ceiling and silent .

"Kat… did I hurt you?" he started to second guess himself when she turned towards him and had tears in her eyes. "Shit, are you okay?"

She sniffed and nodded, curling up against his chest. "I'm so okay. I'm about a million times more than okay. " She pulled back and stared into his eyes as he wiped the tears away with the pad of his thumb. "Kelly, thank you. "

"For?"

"For making me feel safe, like my opinion matters… like what I want counts… Thank you." She curled back up against him and closed her eyes.

He smiled in the dark, pulling the sheets around them. Kissing her on the top of the head he responded "Always."


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: As always I do not own the characters from Chicago Fire, PD or Med. I just like playing with them. I do own my own characters, Katherin, Ken and anyone else I come up with.

Now the Warnings: Domestic violence, and sexual abuse mentioned ; rated M for language and specific scenes. Some of these are going to be a bit graphic, please feel free to skip over them. *side note – typically my "sex scenes " aren't graphic, but for some reason I went all out on this story. Just a word of warning!!

Chapter 8

Over the next few weeks things were calm. The days and nights Kelly was on shift Kat stayed locked up in the apartment, cleaning or watching TV. Sometimes she dropped by the firehouse and surprised him, stealing kisses in between calls, but mostly she spent her time at home. The times he was off they spent together, wrapped up in each other's arms, watching TV or relaxing in bed. He tried to get her to convert to being a Bears fan, which wasn't happening, but she thought it was adorable of him try.

Her bruises had completely gone away, something they both were extremely happy to see. Kat felt happy. She loved being around Kelly, and his coworkers at the firehouse were all extremely sweet to her. Herrmann even offered her a spot tending bar and singing at Molly's, just to keep her occupied, and Kat jumped at the chance. Kelly wasn't sure at first, after all Ken knew about the bar and could track her down but Herrmann promised she would never be alone, so he went along with it.

They never fought , not once, a concept that was foreign to Kat. Kelly didn't raise his voice to her, or get mad. If he did get angry about something he made sure to keep it far away from her, so she didn't have any sort of PTSD. Talking to Dr. Charles helped a lot, Will gave her his information and they had been meeting for a few weeks. She and Kelly talked about everything. Their pasts, dreams… his best friend, Shay who had died at a call years prior. That conversation was hard, but Kat held his hand and listened to how Shay would have loved her, and how sad he was they didn't get the chance to meet. He also talked about his dad, another hard conversation. Benny Severide was a complicated man, and the two of them had a difficult relationship to say the least, but now that he was gone Kelly seemed a bit lost.

Thanksgiving came, and she cooked the firehouse their annual dinner, even going along with their tradition of naming the bird before serving it. They got through almost the whole dinner without the alarm bells going off, but inevitably someone trying to deep fry a turkey caused them to put dessert on hold for an hour or two.

Kat ended up getting a new phone about a week after Hank took hers, and for the next few weeks she held her breath every time the notification went off, praying it wasn't Ken. It never was, and by mid December she began to feel like maybe she was in the clear.

That was until Kelly called her one night as she was lounging on the sofa watching reality TV. "Hey babe… not sure how to say this but…we're at your house. "

She sat up like a shot "My house, what do you mean?" she hadn't been there for a couple weeks , not after the latest pick up of clothes she had done. She had unofficially moved into Kelly's apartment by that time, and didn't have much left at the house but bad memories and some photos.

"394 Wabash, it's on fire." She could hear yelling in the background and the sirens of the trucks. "You might want to get down here."

"I'll be there as soon as possible!" she tugged on big thick boots over her socks and threw on her coat , hat and scarf before grabbing the keys to Kelly's car and taking off.

When she pulled up to the scene she ran past the trucks, eyes darting all over until she saw Chief Boden. "Chief!!" she ran up to him "Kelly called me, what happened?" she glanced at her home, now with flames shooting out of it, and held her hand over her mouth.

He was too busy calling out orders on the radio to respond to her, so she backed up towards the edge of the crowd until she felt herself run into someone . She felt strong hands on her arms and turned around to see Sergeant Voight standing behind her. "Sorry Sergeant, I was trying to stay out of the way. " she turned back to look at her house, tears springing to her eyes.

"Why don't we get you off the street?" he lead her by the elbow to his car, holding the passenger side door open for her. "Sit here, I'll see what I can find out." He patted her hand and walked off, leaving her sitting in the passenger seat in shock.

Kat watched in horror as the flames licked the night sky. She could hear Kelly and Matt both over the radio on Chief Boden's shoulder, letting him know they had swept the house and there was no one there. They were coming out, and Chief requested 51 run a line in and start working on battling the fire. Kat watched for Kelly to come out, holding her breath until she saw him and she couldn't help it, she jumped up and ran to him as soon as she did. He pulled off his mask the moment before she threw her arms around him, and gave her a kiss on the temple, wrapping one arm around her. "Hey, I'm okay. "

"I'm sorry I know that wasn't professional or proper or whatever. I'm just really glad you're okay!" she turned to Matt who was standing next to Kelly "You too of course. "

He grinned at her "Don't worry about it, we do this every day. " and walked off leaving the two of them alone. Well, alone as they could be with a crowd full of people watching and a house on fire behind them.

"What the hell happened??" Kat peered behind him and he lead her away from the other firefighters so they could have some privacy.

"Looks like arson. " He responded. "That's why Voight's here, Chief called him immediately when we realized it was yours. I'll know more once the fire is out and OFI can get in there." He held out what he was holding in his other hand to her. "Here, I grabbed this. It's about all that was salvageable."

More tears formed in Kats eyes. He was holding her photo album, the one that had all her childhood memories in it. She had meant to grab it on her last trip but forgot. "Oh Kelly …" she ran her hand over the cover, wiping away the soot. "You have no idea what this means to me." She looked up at him with tear filled eyes.

Across the street and out of view, a man watched the two interact. You might think he was homeless, dressed in rags and tattered shoes … just a clever disguise. The man underneath just glared at the two of them muttering under his breath . "So this is her new hero…time to put an end to that. "

Kelly had to go back to the firehouse after the call, he was still on shift until morning but Kat went back to the apartment and flipped through her photos. Pictures of her as a kid… making snowmen and snow angels in the fluffy white snow that Wisconsin got… she ran her fingers over the photos, wishing she could go back to that time, where she was just an innocent girl and nothing bad had happened . She turned the page and saw her parents, and she started to silently cry. After she had told them she wanted to move to Chicago to become a singer they stopped talking to her. She had no siblings, but they had no problem cutting off their only child because she wanted to do something she was passionate about . She wondered if she should try and contact them, and decided against it. They didn't care back then why would they care now? Kat was lost in thought when she heard the key in the lock, snapping her back to reality.

When Kelly walked through the door she jumped up , squeezing him tight before he ever put his go bag down. "Hey, it's okay. I'm fine babe." He pulled back and wiped the tears away that were on her cheeks.

"I thought you were on shift til morning?" she buried her face in his chest afraid to let go.

"Chief got a relief Lieutenant, he thought you might need me. Looks like he was right ." he kissed the top of her head, dropping his bag on the floor and leading her to the couch. "What's going on?" he said pointing to the open photo album.

"Nothing, just reminiscing. " She shrugged , moving it so he could sit next to her. "I'm really glad you saved this, thank you." She patted the spot next to her and he sat down. "Did Sergeant Voight have anything to say?"

He pulled her close to his side, tucking her under his arm. "Nothing much to see tonight. OFI will check in the morning, we should know more then. I'm just glad you weren't in there. I guess this means you should officially move in huh?" he smiled even though she couldn't see his face. He had been planning on asking her for a few weeks anyway, and as bad as the fire was it was perfect timing.

Kat grinned "I guess so, otherwise I'm officially homeless." She took a deep breath in. Even though he smelled like smoke from her house being on fire, it steadied her nerves a little bit.

"I'm gonna grab a shower …" Kelly looked down at her . "Wanna join?" his eyes twinkled. He knew he needed to get her out of her own head even if it was just for a little while.

The corners of her mouth turned up slightly "Smooth Lieutenant…" she got up and walked towards the bathroom, pausing to look back at him. "Well? You coming ?"

He jumped up and they retreated to the bathroom, dropping pieces of clothing on their way .

Kat got in first, testing the water to make sure it was the exact right temperature before Kelly slipped in behind her. She felt him press up against her, his hands reaching around to cup her breasts. She leaned against him, already turned on. "Soap" he whispered in her ear and she remembered why they were actually there. She handed him the body wash, the woodsy smell made her melt a little. She ran her hands over his chest, arms , then down his legs when he sucked in air. He didn't move, as difficult as it was for him. Kelly wanted nothing more than to lift her up and take her against the side of the shower , but he wanted her make the first move. And when he felt her tongue running up and down the length of his shaft he groaned. "Babe…." She moved forward, taking the tip into her mouth completely, sucking just a bit before drawing him fully in. He had to grab the wall with one hand to steady himself , the other he ran through her hair, gripping ever so slightly. When she moved faster he couldn't take it, he pushed her back gently and picked her up, fingers gripping her ass, allowing her to wrap her legs around his torso. After a quick run under the shower to wash off the soap he leaned her against the shower wall, his mouth fused to hers. Her nails scratched his back as she held on, and he broke their kiss to nip and suck at her neck and collarbone.

"Kelly…" she moaned , bowing upwards slightly against him. He took the opportunity to slide into her, and could feel her walls close in around him. They moved together, slow at first and then building up to the grand finale that left the two of them completely relaxed and almost not able to stand. When they got out, and Kat caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror and grinned at the marks he had made . These didn't cause her sadness … these made her feel alive and happy, but more importantly, loved.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to mark you…" Kelly saw her looking at the spots on her neck.

She turned to him and laughed "Yes you did. And I will wear them with pride." She kissed him full on the mouth before walking off to the bedroom to find sleepwear.

Kelly toweled off, grinning to himself. How he ever got so lucky was beyond him, but this girl was something. She hadn't let her past take over her life, she asked for help ( albeit reluctantly) and they had a great life together . Even though they had met only a month and change prior , he knew she was the one for him. Christmas was coming up, and he had a perfect plan to make it one she would never forget. He retreated to the bedroom to change and saw her laying in bed, curled up in a tight ball, waiting for him to snuggle her and keep her warm. After he dressed, he slid in next to her, wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling her up to him, causing her to sigh. She wiggled into him, trying to suck up enough of his warmth as she could , and he bit his lip suppressing a groan. _She is gonna be the death of me._ He placed a soft kiss on the back of her neck, then her bare shoulder . "I love you Kat…" he told her before burying his face in her shoulder.

"I love you too Kelly." She whispered back and they fell asleep smiling .


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: As always I do not own the characters from Chicago Fire, PD or Med. I just like playing with them. I do own my own characters, Katherin, Ken and anyone else I come up with.—same old song and dance.

A/N2: I love my follows and likes , but I would SUPER LOVE A review!! please, help a girl out ;)

Now the Warnings: Domestic violence, and sexual abuse mentioned ; rated M for language and specific scenes. Some of these are going to be a bit graphic, please feel free to skip over them. *side note – typically my "sex scenes " aren't graphic, but for some reason I went all out on this story.

Chapter 9

Their bliss lasted until morning . Kat got up early, letting Kelly sleep in. She puttered around the kitchen, making coffee, then sitting near the patio doors watching the snow fall sipping it. She heard her phone ping on the kitchen island so she went over to check it , finding she had a message from a number she didn't recognize. Frowning she opened it. _I have information for you about the fire. Meet me outside._ It came from a number she didn't recognize and had no name attached to it. She sat and thought for a moment, maybe it was from Kelly's OFI contact? But they would have messaged his phone… she was intrigued so she slipped quietly into the bedroom and changed, placing a kiss on Kelly's cheek. She wrote a quick note and left it on her pillow before piling on her winter gear and heading out the door.

Kelly woke up a few hours later and reached over to pull Kat close to him only to find nothing but her cold pillow and a piece of paper. He blinked hard a few times before reading the note _"Kelly -I got a message about the fire, went to go talk to someone about it. I'll be back soon. XO Kat"_ He immediately jumped up and started pulling on clothes. Grabbing his phone he called Kat, and it went to voicemail . He texted, but didn't get a response. Called again, and went to voicemail a second time, this time he left a message for her to call him right away. Something wasn't sitting right with him, he hadn't had any messages from OFI , and he knew they wouldn't have contacted Kat directly anyway so he began calling the members of the Intelligence Unit he had numbers for. After 5 attempts he got through to Jay.

"Hey man, what's going on?"

"Jay, I don't want to seem needy or anything but can you guys track Kats cell phone ?"

"Geeze man, what did you do?" Jay teased him.

"I woke up this morning and she had left me a note. Said she got a call about the fire and was going to meet someone about it. Somethings off …" Kelly tried to keep the concern out of his voice but he couldn't.

Jay got it immediately . "Yeah No problem . Get down here, I'll start pulling her muds and tolls. " and he disconnected the phone.

Kelly grabbed his keys, and it dawned on him Kat hadn't taken his car. Wherever she was going it had to be in walking distance . He slammed the door behind him on the way out and made his way to the district as fast as he could.

Jay disconnected with Kelly and immediately started running the report from Kat's new number to find out who had been messaging her. By the time Kelly got to the precinct they had pulled a list of messages and phone calls she had received in the last week to check for any pattern , but the one they were most concerned with was the text she got that morning from an unknown number .

Kelly bounded up the steps into Intelligence two at a time. "Anything?" he crossed to Jay's desk where the rest of the team were hovering.

"She got a message this morning from an unlisted number, can't be traced. It said I have information for you about the fire. Meet me outside. What fire?"

Voight hadn't filled in his team on what went down the night prior, so Kelly quickly did, letting them know that Kat's house burned down and it was believed to be arson.

"Have you called Chief? Any of your fellow fighters? Maybe they wanted to meet with her to go over information?" Jay knew that wasn't it, but said it anyway.

"As far as I know OFI hasn't even been inside yet, so there should be nothing to talk about ." Kelly got a sinking feeling in his stomach. "Can you track her phone ?"

"Severide ? What's going on?" Hanks gruff voice boomed as he walked up the stairs into the bullpen.

Kelly filled him in while the team attempted to track Kat's phone, but it didn't do any good. "It's been turned off or it's dead, I can't get a read on it at all." Adam had been working feverishly at his keyboard. "The message said meet me outside . Outside where ?"

"Lets pull pod and camera footage of the street in front of Severide's apartment." Hank pointed at Adam and he nodded and got to work. "Have patrol do a canvas, see if anyone remembers seeing her this morning. Boots on the ground , start passing out her picture." He motioned to the rest of the team who grabbed their coats and scattered.

Kelly had sat down in an abandoned chair, head in his hands when he felt Hank clap him on the shoulder. "We'll find her. Call your 51 family , or better yet if they're still on shift go over there and talk to them. They can help join the search."

Kelly nodded , dazed look in his eyes, but walked out of the district and made his way to 51. When he got there his colleagues were just getting off shift.

"Hey Lieutenant! I thought you were home with that pretty girl of yours?" Herrmann called out to him. When the group got closer they could see something was terribly wrong.

"Severide what is it?" Matt spoke up , grabbing his friend by the upper arm.

"Kat, she left this morning. Had a message from someone saying they wanted to talk to her about the fire. Now I can't reach her… somethings wrong, I can feel it." Kelly looked at his friends with fear in his eyes.

"What can we do Lieutenant?" Cruz asked, and the rest of the group waited for an answer.

"Canvas around our neighborhood, ask people if they saw her. " Kelly hung his head. "Intelligence is working on getting pod footage , but Voight mentioned maybe if we had enough people out with her picture…"

"Say no more Severide, we'll be happy to help." Matt pulled his friend into a hug and held him for a beat before letting go. "I'll update Chief if you all want to start?" The group nodded and followed Kelly to his apartment.

Kat opened her eyes, blinking a few times before fully opening them and looking around. She didn't recognize her surroundings at all. She tried to sit up and groaned , her head felt heavy. _What the hell?_ She tried to move and realized she couldn't move her leg very far. When Kat looked down she realized why, she was shackled to the bed with some sort of heavy chain. She could move her arms and hands she found out which was a positive. She pushed herself up slowly from where she had been laying and surveyed the room she was in. Wood walls, wood floor… she closed her eyes and took a deep breath in. Snow. She recognized the scent of fresh powder. _Where am I?_ There was a bed that she had been laying on in the room, but not much else besides it and the chain she was attached to. She tried to calm her breathing, she could feel herself panicking and she knew that wouldn't be helpful, so she closed her eyes and thought about Kelly. Being in his arms, safe and loved. It helped, her breathing slowed and her mind started to clear. She remembered the text message she had received regarding the fire. But after she walked outside the apartment everything went blank. Kat reached around to the back of her head and didn't feel anything so she hasn't been hit or in an accident. She looked up and down her body and didn't see any bullet holes or knife wounds, no cuts or scratches that would indicate she had been in an accident of any kind… she saw she was still fully clothed, besides her boots and outside winter hear that had been removed. She pushed the sleeves of her shirt up and then she saw it. On her right arm, an injection mark. _Drugged?? Who would want to drug me?_ She heard movement outside the room so she curled herself into a small ball on the bed, waiting for the door to open.

When it did she didn't recognize the man that came in, but he had brought her a plate of food and a bottle of water. "Where am I? Who are you?" she asked, knowing it wouldn't do any good but trying anyway . As suspected the man said nothing , but set the plate and bottle down and quickly exited the room again. Since she had been knocked out Kat didn't know how many hours she had been missing, but she hadn't eaten anything that morning before leaving the apartment so she was hungry. She ate, and after a few minutes the man came back to take away the plate. She tried again in desperation "Please just tell me what you want, I have friends that are in the police department. If you let me go I'll make sure they know that…" the man glared at her but didn't say anything , again just turning around and exiting the room.

In Chicago Voight's team began their canvas, speaking to Kelly and Kat's neighbors. No one could help, they hadn't seen or heard anything out of the ordinary that morning. The members of 51 took to the streets, showing Kat's picture to everyone that walked by the building, but it did no good. They were at it for hours, until Hank pulled them all back to the district.

"Have we got anything?" he asked Ruzek, who was still working diligently behind the computer.

"Nothing boss. Severide I'm sorry man, I've been through every possible camera or pod in the area, there's nothing. No trace of her." Adam hung his head, it wasn't the news he wanted to give the man.

"You have to be missing something. She didn't disappear! Try her phone again, do something, anything!" his voice cracked a little on the last word, and he sank into the nearest chair.

"What about that jerk from the bar?" Herrmann asked breaking the silence. "Her ex, what was his name?"

Ruzek started typing again. "Kenneth Bowman, 45, lives on Lakeshore Drive, but runs his business out of South Chicago. He's well connected, has friends in every place you can think of which is why he's never actually been arrested." He printed out a recent photo of the man and stuck it on the white board. "We were trying to get him on harassment after Halstead and Upton got Kat away from him back in November, but no judge would sign the warrant."

"You've got to be kidding me?" Kelly pounded his hands on the desk and jumped to his feet. "The guy physically assaults her, sent her threatening messages and you still can't arrest him? " He turned to Voight. "Her phone had over 100 missed calls and more texts and voice mails when I saw it and I'm sure I didn't see them all. That's got to count for something?"

"Kelly, I'm sorry. I tried." Hank didn't admit defeat typically so Kelly knew he really had done everything he could.

"Well then, maybe I'll just pay him a visit? Have a chat with him." He grabbed his coat and headed down the stairs leaving the resounding chorus of "No's!" behind him. "Antonio , Jay follow him." They nodded and took off after Kelly down the steps.

When Kelly burst through the front door of the precinct, he practically ran into Matt who was coming in. "Whoa, what's going on? Severide? Where are you going ?"

Kelly didn't want to waste time talking, he wanted to confront the man that had hurt Kat for so long, so he just ignored Matt and walked to his car before hearing Antonio yell for him. He stopped and turned to see Antonio pointing to his own vehicle and motioning at him. "Voight told us to tag along. You don't know where you're going so why don't I drive ?"

Kelly nodded and followed Antonio to the car where Jay and Matt were already standing. The four men jumped in and took off to their destination, Ken's penthouse on Lakeshore Drive.

When they pulled up to the fancy apartment building Kelly was seething. Kat had been gone for hours, and they were no closer to finding her than they were this morning. Kelly jumped out of the car almost before it was in park, and ran into the building. Of course the front desk person didn't give him the time of day until the other three men came in, and the detectives showed him their badges.

"Can I help you gentlemen?"

Kelly glared but didn't speak. "Yeah Detective Dawson, Detective Halstead , CPD, looking for Kenneth Bowman." Antonio and Jay held up their badges and waited.

"And you two?" the man turned towards Kelly and Matt.

They looked at each other , wondering if they should even bother. This guy wasn't going to speak to them … "CFD." Matt finally announced.

" I'm sorry sirs, I'm afraid Mr. Bowman isn't on the premises at the moment. Is there a fire? I'm sure I would have been notified…" the man was stalling, they could tell. But since no one would sign a warrant they weren't legally allowed to go any further than the lobby.

"No, we just need to ask him some questions. Do you know when he'll be back?" Matt put a hand on Kelly's shoulder, trying to keep his friend from dragging the man across the desk by his neck.

"I'm afraid I don't. If you want to leave a message I'll make sure he gets it as soon as he returns."

That was the last straw for Kelly. "Listen you no good –" all three men had to hold him back. At that moment the elevator doors opened, and Ken walked out. When he caught sight of the four men at the front desk he laughed and sauntered over to them, like he didn't have a care in the world.

"Its okay Tom. I've got this. " He waved at the desk attendant, who scurried off. "What can I do for you gentlemen?" he glanced at Jay and Kelly. "You two look familiar, have we met before?" his cavalier attitude was twisting Kelly into knots, and they all could see it.

"Severide why don't we wait outside ?" Matt asked his friend but didn't wait for an answer before dragging him out the front door.

"He seems upset, I hope everything's okay…" Ken said smirking.

"Detectives Halstead and Dawson, CPD. We need to talk to you about Katherin Bend." Jay flashed his badge at him , pausing to allow him to respond.

"Oh dear, what's Kitty Kat done now?" the same Cheshire cat grin appeared on Ken's face. "She's a clumsy one that girl . "

"She's missing." Antonio told him. "We need to know if you have any idea her whereabouts. "

"Gosh detectives, I haven't seen Kat for a month or more. Come to think of it, you were there." He pointed to Jay. "You and a gorgeous blond. I can't remember her name… you two took Kat away and I haven't seen her since." He looked down at his watch "I'm sorry but I really need to get going . Pressing appointment." He tossed the two men a look and walked out the front door, into a waiting vehicle that took off immediately.

Kelly was pacing outside . He saw Ken get in the vehicle and drive away, and it just made him more angry. "You couldn't stop him?" he yelled at Jay and Antonio when they walked out.

"Severide , listen . We are doing everything we can, believe us." Jay started in. "I know you're worried, hell we all are.-"

"You don't get it, I love her. " Kelly said quietly, before leaning against the side of Antonio's car and sliding to the ground.


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: As always I do not own the characters from Chicago Fire, PD or Med. I just like playing with them. I do own my own characters, Katherin, Ken and anyone else I come up with.—same old song and dance.

A/N2: I love my follows and likes , but I live for reviews!! Thanks so much ;)

Now the Warnings: Domestic violence, and sexual abuse mentioned ; rated M for language and specific scenes. Some of these are going to be a bit graphic, please feel free to skip over them. *side note – typically my "sex scenes " aren't detailed , but for some reason I went all out on this story. Just a word of warning!!

Chapter 10

Hank slammed the door to his office shut and slumped into his chair behind his desk. Grabbing the bottle and a glass from his bottom drawer he poured himself two fingers of scotch, and quickly downed it. Antonio had called letting him know that Ken had denied seeing Kat or knowing where she was, and had left. Seeing that they couldn't get any sort of warrant to pull Ken's phone logs , or check his apartment Hank felt lost . He remembered the first time he had met Kelly Severide, and how he hadn't thought much of the man back then. Course he never did think much of the men that dated Erin, even Jay at first, but Kelly proved himself throughout the years as a man to be counted on. Now Hank was letting him down. He was letting Kat down too, a woman he hadn't met but a few times but took a liking to instantly, despite his gruff manner towards her. She reminded him a lot of Erin, being a victim of terrible circumstances but pulling herself out from under such tragedy and making a life for herself. He poured himself another drink , then set the bottle back in the drawer, slamming it shut when he heard a knock on his office door –"Come in." he said shortly.

Ruzek stuck his head in. "Boss, I think we finally caught a break!"

The group of four men walked back up the stairs to the bullpen looking dejected. Kelly went to slump into the closest chair when Hank yelled to him, so he detoured and made his way to Hanks office.

"Voight." The tone of his voice said a lot. He was tired, frustrated, and pissed off.

Hank held out a photo to him. "I need you to tell me if you recognize anyone in this photo."

Kelly took it from his outstretched fingers and glanced at it. It was a photo of the crowd at fire the night previously. He scanned the crowd , shaking his head. "No, why?"

Hank stood up and pointed to a man looking like a homeless man. "Him. You recognize him?"

Kelly looked closer- "Bowman!" he snarled . "He was there?"

Hank nodded and handed him another photo. "This car he got in to? Is it the one he's usually in?"

Kelly shook his head. "No, usually he's driven around in some fancy black SUV. This is a panel van, like a delivery vehicle." Kelly handed the photos back. "What does this mean ??"

Hank motioned to Kelly to follow him. They went to a computer where Ruzek had video keyed ready to play. "Go ahead." Adam pushed play and the group leaned in to watch. It was pod video from behind Kelly and Kats apartment building. It showed the same panel van Ken had gotten into the night before was parked there . They watched and saw a man, shorter and stockier than Ken get out and go into the building . About 5 minutes later he came back, carrying a body over his shoulder . They watched him put her into the back of the van and take off.

"Kat!" Kelly's voice cracked. "Voight please tell me you can track it?" He was gripping the side of the desk so hard his knuckles turned white.

He looked to Ruzek who had already started typing, and the rest of the room went to their desks to try and get facial recognition on the man, or see if any other cameras had picked him up anywhere. Matt stood next to Kelly , hand on his shoulder . "They'll find her Severide."

 _Kat lay still, watching a few fluffy clouds pass overhead, sun shining on her face. She could stay like this forever, it felt so right. She flipped over and started swimming towards the shore._ _Kelly watched Kat walk out of the ocean in slow motion, like something out of a movie. She was gorgeous, water dripping off her as she walked towards him._ _"Hi baby. Whatcha looking at?" she stood in front of him, grinning._ _"You." He grabbed a towel, wrapping it around her and pulled her close, leaning down to capture her lips with his. It was a rather chaste kiss compared to all the others he had given her over their time there, but it had the same result. Kat's knees became weak and she leaned against him, as they stared into each others eyes…_ _"I'm so glad we did this Mr. Severide." She whispered._ _"I am too Mrs. Severide." He whispered back, before pulling her close again._

Kat rolled over and groaned. She had been having an amazing dream about Kelly… they were somewhere warm and tropical. A complete opposite of the situation she found herself in at the present . When her eyes focused again and she snapped back to reality, she looked and found herself still shackled to the bed. The room she was in had no windows , so she had no idea if it was day or night, or how long she had been gone. Kat wanted to yell, scream, curse at the world… but she knew it wouldn't do any good. She closed her eyes again and prayed for when she and Kelly would be back together .

Ruzek had been working on tracking the vans plates and he finally got a hit. Printing off the paper he stuck it to the white board and started talking . "Plates come back to a Joseph Duffy. 50, Caucasian… errand boy for Kenneth Bowman and his Irish mobsters. He has warrants out for aggravated battery and drug possession." He pointed to the picture of the van he had on the board. "The van was last spotted on a camera leaving Illinois ."

"Leaving the state going where?" Hank broke in.

"North." Ruzek posted another picture on the board. "This is it crossing the Illinois /Wisconsin border earlier today."

"Burgess get on the phone with Wisconsin state police. I don't want any jurisdiction issues." Ruzek grabbed his laptop and coat while Jay, Hailey, Antonio and Kevin grabbed their jackets and everyone followed Hank to the garage to gear up. Burgess followed a few minutes later on her phone. When they got to the garage and started to vest up Hank turned to the firefighters saying "Kelly I'm sorry, you and Casey can't come with us." Even as he said it Hank knew it wasn't going to do any good.

"That's bullshit Voight and you know it. Its my girlfriend that's been kidnapped! I'm going." Kelly shrugged off Matt's hand on his shoulder and walked outside.

"You really thought that would work?" Casey shook his head and followed Kelly to wait for the unit.

A bolo had been issued for the van , and they finally got a hit in a rural town in northern Wisconsin called Door County, about 4 and a half hours from the Chicago. The town police had contacted Burgess to let her know they would keep an eye on it , so the team had a caravan headed north. Ruzek, Atwater, and Burgess were together in one car, Hank and Antonio in the next. Finally Upton, Halstead, Casey and Severide together in third.

"So this van, it's where exactly?" Kelly couldn't take the quiet. They had been driving for a couple of hours and it was too much for him.

"Some place called Door County? A couple spotted it at a cabin on their property, called it in. They were coming to check on it since it's usually empty in the winter and saw smoke coming from the chimney and the van parked in the driveway. " Hailey has gotten the info from Kim so she relayed it to the occupants of the car.

"I know that town. My grandfather's cabin isn't too far from there." Jay said . "Great place. Really quiet in winter."

"She's from Wisconsin. You think it's a coincidence he had her brought here ?" Kelly asked.

The two detectives in the front seat looked at each other . "I don't think anything that happens due to this guy is a coincidence. " Jay responded.

In the middle car Hank and Antonio were talking. "Severide shouldn't be here Hank, he might not be able to handle what we find." Antonio was worried about his friends, but tried not to let it affect his thinking .

"You try telling him that. She's been gone for less than 24 hours and you can see the wreck he is. Kelly's a good man, a great firefighter… he's seen things no one should have to." Hank reasoned. "He will be okay."

" _Boss_. Kim's voice came over the radio to both cars. _Door County police just called to let me know another vehicle has joined the van. I sent them a picture and they verified – its Bowman."_

Hank slammed his hand against the steering wheel. They were in another state and had no way to get warrants to arrest him for this crime. _"I have a friend that works in the state attorneys office here."_ Burgess spoke again _"I'll call her and see if we can't get warrants to arrest him. I'll loop in the police officers watching the cabin too, see if they have any way to get it expedited."_

"Do it." Was all Hank said and the group continued to move north towards their destination.

In the third car after Burgess's comment Kelly was livid. He saw red. Nothing else mattered to him but Kat and her safety. He decided after this was all done he would take her somewhere remote, just the two of them. So she could finally relax and feel safe.

Kat woke up to hear voices outside her door. She got up and started to move that way when her leg forced her to stop. Sighing she sat down on the edge of the bed and waited .

The door opened and Kat gasped. "Ken?" she shrunk back against the bed "What are you doing here?"

"You disrespected me KittyKat. You're mine yet you thought you could forget that? Move on with someone else?" he moved closer to her with every word "You were wrong . So very wrong."

"Why did you bring me here? What's the point of all this ?" Kat scrambled to keep him talking . She recognized the look in his eyes.

"Don't you see? You need to be punished for throwing us away. Say you're sorry, beg me for forgiveness and I MIGHT let you keep breathing."

Tears sprung to Kats eyes. _I'm going to die here._ "Ken, please. I'm sorry, I don't know what I was thinking. Why don't we go back to Chicago, start over?" her skin crawled as she said the words but she knew it had to be done.

"You think it's that simple ?? I brought you home Katherin. So you could see I care about you. Back to where you had such good memories…" Ken sat next to her on the bed, gripping her hand and pulling her towards him. "Why don't we have one last go huh? As much as I am angry at you , you were always a good lay." He leaned in, unlocking the shackle, and kissed her hard against the mouth, forcing her backwards on the bed.

Down the road the three vehicles from Chicago pulled up and met with the officers that were watching the cabin. A uniformed officer got out and went to greet them. "Officer Pat Barnes, Door County police." He stuck his hand out towards the group. "Which one of you is Officer Burgess?"

Kim stepped forward "I am." She shook the man's hand. "Thank you for keeping an eye on the place. Did you hear back from the state attorney?"

"We did. Their office sent an expedited search warrant and arrest warrants on both your perps. We were just waiting on you to get here before proceeding." He held out his phone to show them the documents. "The hard copies are waiting at our precinct for you. "

"Sergeant Hank Voight. " He stuck his hand out and shook the officers hand. "Thank you, we can take it from here. Hang back in case they try to run." He turned towards his group "Gear up." They scattered and grabbed their vests out of the trucks of their cars before returning to where Hank was standing.

"Casey, Severide… I know you want to be involved in this, but I am asking you to stay back. Let us get her out safely. " He glanced at the two men who nodded their heads.

"I'm sorry for being a pain Voight – I just want her to be safe. " Kelly said hanging his head. "Just, get her out. Please."

He raised his head when he felt Hanks hand on his shoulder. "That's the plan. Burgess, Atwater, Ruzek circle around to the back of the cabin. Halstead, you and Upton take the right and left, Antonio and I will take front. " The team separated and began their approach to the cabin.

Inside Kat had made peace with what was going to happen. Ken had stripped her of the bottom half of her clothes. He forced her legs apart , mumbling to her as he slammed himself inside her. She cringed , silent tears rolling down her cheeks. It wasn't supposed to be like this. Kelly was gentle, loving … she didn't want to go back to this way again. Something inside her snapped and she pushed Ken backwards. "LEAVE ME ALONE!"

Outside the team heard her yell. "Police open up!!" Antonio kicked down the front door as Kevin hit the back. "Put your hands on your head and get down slowly!" the man from the video did what he was told willingly. When asked where Ken was he pointed to a room that had the door closed. The team swept the rest of the cabin quickly and got ready to bust down the shut door.

When they did they found Ken with a gun to Kats head. Her neck had hand prints on it, where Ken had attempted to choke her, and she was naked from the waist down. "Bowman, put the gun down. There's no where for you to go, it's over. " Hank walked into the room, gesturing for Kim and Hailey to join him. He knew Kat would feel more comfortable with the female detectives seeing her this way, but there was no way Hank was leaving.

"You shouldn't even be here! Besides , Kat came with me willingly, didn't you Kat…" she cringed at his breath hot on her face.

"There's nothing willing about this Bowman. You had her shackled to the bed." He pointed to the chain hanging down. " She was kidnapped from outside her home this morning, and you're behind it." Hank took a step closer, gun drawn.

On the other side of the wall from Ken Jay was set to shoot. He just needed Ken away from Kat long enough to get a clean shot through the wall. Hailey was motioning to him where Kens head was at while he was talking to Voight , so Jay would be ready when it was time.

"STAND BACK! Let me guess the firefighter is here too right ? Well get him in here so he can see what his previous girlfriend has been up to. He won't want her. Then where will you be huh Kat??? Crawling back to me!" Kens eyes went glassy, Hank knew they didn't have a lot of time.

Kat knew it too. She closed her eyes and took a breath before opening them and giving Hank a silent signal. She took her elbow and jammed it back into Kens ribs , hard enough to surprise him and make him drop his grip on her. She fell sideways off the bed and it was over. Hailey gave Jay the signal and he shot through the wall taking Ken out quickly. Kat laid there keeping her hands over ears , face buried until she felt a hand on her arm. She looked up and saw Kim and Hailey standing there with jackets covering her. "Don't look behind you sweetie. Just look at us." Hailey held out her hand to help her up off the floor.

Hank stood next to Ken's body, blocking it from sight while Hailey and Kim helped Kat get dressed. When she was completely covered again he turned back around , holding out his hand for her to take. She looked at him, and practically leapt into his arms. "Thank you Sergeant." She whispered to him. He patted her back and then turned her towards Kim and Hailey who lead her from the room.

Kelly was pacing back and forth by the car. "You heard that right? " he turned to Matt. "That was a gun shot. I need to be up there."

Matt grabbed his arm "Kelly, let them do their jobs."

Kelly made a face but continued to pace back and forth . They heard footsteps and when Kelly turned around he saw Kat flanked by Kim and Hailey. "Kat!" He ran towards her at the same time she looked up and saw him.

"Kelly!" They met each other midway down the path as she jumped into his arms. "I'm so sorry, I should have never walked out of the apartment!"

He hugged her tightly and kissed her temple. "You're safe now baby. I've got you."


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: I feel like after 11 chapters I don't need to mention I don't own the characters except the ones I make up ;) If I did I would be writing for the show !

I think we're coming to the end of this story… hope everyone enjoyed it!

Now the Warnings: Domestic violence, and sexual abuse mentioned ; rated M for language and specific scenes.

Chapter 11

8 weeks later

Kat sat curled up on a couch, feet tucked underneath her. "So? Am I free?" She asked the older gentleman across from her.

"Free ?"

"Come on Doctor Charles, you know what I mean. Am I done with therapy?" she sighed. "I like you Doc, really I do. You've been amazing… its just… I'm ready to resume my life."

"Miss Bend-"

"I told you to call me Kat." She wagged her finger at him.

"Kat. I hope you haven't felt like a prisoner by being here and talking to me." Doctor Charles pushed his glasses up off the end of his nose and looked at her. "I would never have asked you to stay if you felt that way. It's just your friends seemed to feel you would benefit from talking to me again, after what happened at the cabin."

Kat shook her head "No, it's not that. I miss Kelly is all." She glanced down at her hands. "And Molly's. And the firehouse. I miss everyone."

"I know you do. I'm sorry that we asked them to stay away, but I thought it would be best for your recovery if you were isolated from them, just for awhile. I'm happy to report that you've completed your inpatient stay, and you can go home today." Doctor Charles handed her a box. "I want you to have this."

Kat took the box from his hand smiling . "Awww Doc, you didn't have to get me a present . It's not my birthday for another few weeks." She shook her head and opened the box to find a leather bound journal nestled in tissue paper. "Doctor Charles, I don't know what to say…" she took it out and ran her fingers over the stamp in the leather. "It's beautiful."

"This is your journal. You can write down your thoughts, compose song lyrics , doodle… whatever makes you feel comfortable and safe." He stood up , and Kat rose a second later. "Take each moment , breathe in and enjoy them Miss Bend. You're lucky to have so many people that care about you." He stuck out his hand to shake hers, but she swatted it away.

"Sorry Doc, you will have to be okay with a hug." She wrapped his arms around his large frame, and squeezed him tightly . "Thank you for everything." She backed up and left his office, holding her journal with a huge grin on her face.

Later that day she had packed up her belongings and bid goodbye to the inpatient staff that had helped her over the last 8 weeks. When she walked into the lobby Kat stopped in her tracks from shock. The entire room was filled with the members of firehouse 51's second watch and the Intelligence unit. "You guys didn't have to come here…" she wiped tears from her eyes as she gave each person a hug.

"We did kid. Our lives haven't been the same without you…. Heck Molly's hasn't been the same without you!" Herrmann squeezed her tight, placing a kiss on her cheek. "We all love you, you've got to know that by now."

"Thank you, really." She held on to Herrmann's hand as she looked around searching for Kelly.

"He couldn't be here. " Matt spoke quietly knowing who she was looking for.

"Oh, right that's fine. No biggie." Kat shrugged it off , but deep down her heart was breaking . She hadn't seen Kelly since the day she was rescued, and she missed him so much it hurt.

"Listen kid, we've got Molly's closed for your return party. How about the Captain takes you home to change and we'll meet you there later okay?" Herrmann squeezed her hand that was still holding his.

"Sure, sounds great . " Kat smiled trying to hide her disappointment . Matt grabbed her bag and lead her to his truck. When they were alone Kat finally had the nerve to ask him what she had been thinking since she walked into the lobby. "How's he doing?"

Matt glanced at her then looked back at the road. "He's been better. Seeing you hurt… it broke him. After you went to the hospital, he went downhill."

"You know I didn't ask them to keep you guys away, that was the doctors that decided that. " Kat stared at her lap. "I miss him so much…"

Matt reached over and grabbed her hand , running his thumb over her knuckles. "I know you do. You being here, it'll be good. It'll bring him out of his depression. Knowing you're okay, that's what's most important."

They reached the apartment building and Kat took a deep breath before exiting the vehicle and making her way upstairs. She felt Matt's hand on the small of her back, being the support she needed. When they opened the door they found it dark, the setting sun peeking through the shades casting an eerie glow throughout the room. "Kelly?" Matt called out.

"Here." A voice cut through the dark. Kat wanted to run to him, jump into his arms, but she stopped herself when he walked towards them. He had lost weight since she had seen him last. His eyes lost their sparkle, his face sunken.

"Kelly?" Kat took a step toward him , placing a hand on his arm. He looked at her, but it was almost like he didn't see her. "Matt can you give us a minute?" she turned to Casey, who nodded and retreated to the bedroom to give them space. She stepped closer to Kelly, putting her hands on his face and turning it so she could look in his eyes. "Kelly, I'm here. I'm okay. "

It was like the light switch went off inside him. His eyes lit up "Kat?" he closed the gap between them and pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her so tight she could barely breathe. "I'm sorry I couldn't protect you…" she felt him shaking.

She closed her eyes. Doctor Charles warned her about this, that he would blame himself for her situation . "Kelly listen to me." She pulled back and looked into his eyes. "What happened to me wasn't your fault, and it wasn't mine. The man responsible for what happened to me is gone, and we don't have to worry about him any more." She kissed his cheek and wiped the tears away with her thumbs. "Kelly I love you. I have since pretty much the day I met you. I need to move on…can you do that with me?"

He nodded giving her a small smile. "I'm so glad you're home." He pulled her close again, kissing her forehead. They stood like that for a few minutes until they heard Matt clear his throat. "Casey, sorry man." He pulled back and let go of Kat so he could give Matt a hug. "Thanks for being there for her, and bringing her home."

"You got it brother." He slapped Kelly on the back. "Now hurry up and change, Herrmann is expecting us at Molly's!" After Kelly walked into the bedroom Matt crossed to Kat who was still standing by the kitchen island and laid a hand on hers. "You've already made him better Kat. He'll be back to his old self in no time."

Kat smiled "I hope so."

Molly's

The trio entered the bar and Kat immediately felt like things were finally back to normal. The music, the noise…no one walking on eggshells around her… Herrmann even had her come behind the bar and serve drinks at one point during the night. She made a special stop by the Intelligence unit members , thanking each one for their part in saving her at the cabin. She pulled Jay aside and thanked him privately for his part in her rescue. He acted like it was nothing , just part of his job but she knew better. She let him know that if he ever needed to talk to anyone , she was there for him. Jay watched her walk away and shook his head . She was the one that was attacked, yet all she wanted to make sure he was okay after what he had done.

After a few hours Kat slid on to the stool next to Kelly, laying her head on his shoulder . He bent down and kissed the top of her head "Tired?" She nodded so he got off the stool and took her by the hand. "Then let's go home."

It took about 2 weeks for Kelly and Kat to get back to a semi normal routine. Kelly insisted on staying by Kat's side no matter where she went, which got a little claustrophobic for her at times but she understood. She was thrilled he was gaining back the weight he lost , and his eyes had their sparkle back. He was happy because except for a few nightmares those first few nights back from the hospital, she seemed to be coping fairly well. His furlough was coming to an end soon, so he wanted to surprise her before he had to go back to work.

"Hey , pack a bag. You've got 15 minutes." He told her one night as they were sitting next to each other on the couch watching TV.

"Wait, what?" She squinted at him, unsure of what he meant. "You'll have to give me more than that Kel."

He kissed the tip of her nose and pointed to the bedroom. "An overnight suitcase, no need for cold weather gear. Like I said you have 15 minutes."

Kat shook her head but jumped up and ran to the bedroom, pulling clothes out if the closest and drawers. He could hear her slamming things as she hurried to meet his deadline. "Don't forget a swimming suit!" he yelled to her as he crossed to the kitchen and pulled a box from a vase on top of the fridge. Kelly opened the box and grinned. He had planned on asking Kat to marry him at Christmas, but they didn't get to celebrate. Her birthday was in a week, so he planned (with the help of his firehouse family) to take her on a trip out of cold windy Chicago and to some place he didn't even know she had dreamed about, Hawaii. He snapped the box shut and stuffed it in his pocket, retreating to the bedroom to grab his already packed suitcase, and found Kat in a mess of clothes.

"What do I bring ? How long are we going to be gone ? Kelly you should have given me more warning!" she was tossing things into her suitcase and Kelly had to laugh because she was just picking random things she was so frazzled . He stopped her , dumped it out ignoring her cries of protest, and went through her closet and drawers, handing her items to put in it.

"There. Get your bathroom stuff and meet me by the front door." He grinned at her, pausing to kiss her quickly on the mouth before taking his case and leaving the room. Once he was out of her sight he opened his suitcase and hid the ring box inside.

Kat grabbed her toiletries from the bathroom ,placing them in her bag and zipping it up. She took another look around the messy bedroom, grabbed her journal off the dresser and met Kelly in the kitchen. "So, do I get a hint at all?"

He shook his head. "Nope. Our ride will be here any minute to take us to O'Hare. We won't need winter gear, but grab a jacket so you don't freeze to death." He pulled his leather coat on as she did the same. They paused for a beat, staring into each others eyes before his phone buzzed. "Okay, you trust me?" he held out his free hand to her, and she took it.

"Always."


End file.
